


Junior Police Officer Sasuke Uchiha (is on the case)

by Mirror_Prison



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Illusions, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Slow Build, Temporary Character Death, Well not that slow, gay boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25750816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirror_Prison/pseuds/Mirror_Prison
Summary: Sasuke starts at KPD. The case they give him is beyond stupid. He wants to prove his worth by finding a depraved murderer and bringing him to justice, not pursuing a petty vandalism case.(tw for violence and death just to be safe, not really that intense.)
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 19
Kudos: 36





	1. Day 1

Sasuke’s childhood room was painfully bare when he entered to look for any items he might have overlooked. He knelt to check a flash of light reflecting off of something reflective underneath his desk. It was one of his old practice-kunai. He hardly needed it anymore, which was probably how it had ended up in such a forgotten corner. He’d set it into the box with the other things he was planning to let his mother give away. 

“You make me so proud.” His mother’s soft voice came from the doorway as if she had been summoned by his thoughts of her. He looked up to acknowledge her, then went back under the desk to grab a couple of dusty paper-clips. He straightened, brushing his hands off and setting the clips onto the flat wooden surface.

His mother entered the room and enfolded him into a hug. 

“Thanks, mom,” Sasuke accepted, leaning his head onto her shoulder and letting her pet his hair as she was so fond of doing. Part of him wanted to pull away and tell her that he was a grown-up, but another part of him was sure that he’d regret not letting her say goodbye the way she wanted.

She held him at arm's length and looked at him with an expression so warm he couldn't help but blush. “I hope you still remember to visit your mom,” she added, pinching his cheek, and it already sounded like a scolding.

Sasuke batted her hands away from his face. Getting his hair touched was one thing. Being pinched like a toddler surely was too much. “I’ll come over every so often, I promise.”

“It would break my heart if you vanished into your work like that brother of yours...” She continued as if Sasuke hadn’t even answered, sighing dramatically. Sasuke pressed his lips together resisting the urge to make an acidic comment that wouldn’t cheer his mother up at all. He opened his mouth to say it anyway- but at that moment his father entered the conversation.

“Itachi is very busy keeping Konoha safe. He’s one of the best officers the village has ever seen. You should try to follow in his footsteps as much as possible.” Sasuke hoped his face wouldn’t show what he thought about that. “After the time it took you to graduate, you have a lot of catching up to do.” Or that.

Instead, Sasuke simply replied, “Yes father.”

His mother gave her husband an admonishing look, pulling Sasuke closer to her chest. “Fugaku…” Sasuke squirmed out of her grasp and slipped past his father into the hallway. He picked up his boxes and made for the door. It was time to go. He heard his mother rushing after him, and ducked his head down, speeding up. “Let me help you carry the last of the boxes over.”

“I’m fine, mom!” He called backwards. 

“All right dear,” she replied, dejected. He heard her soft sniffle and stopped in his tracks- looking up to heaven for guidance. His father better not try and talk to him again.

“Don’t cry, mom,” he sighed. He’d planned to come back in the night to steal his favorite cat, but if things were going the way they were... “Can you carry Tama over?”

His mother broke into a bright smile. “Of course dear!” She scooped Tama up into her apron and carried the cat all bundled up so she couldn’t escape. Not that Tama would struggle. She would have followed Sasuke anywhere on foot, if not for the streets being so dangerous. There was a reason she was his favorite.


	2. Day 2

“Hey, Sasuke!” Shisui greeted excitedly. “Good morning!” He handed something to Sasuke that had the words “Konoha Police Force Orientation” printed on the front in klaxon red letters. A chibi police officer was waving his little baton invitingly near the print. Sasuke scowled. It was so garish he wanted to throw it out into the nearest trash can, no matter how useful the information inside might be.

Sasuke looked around for his brother. He would tell Sasuke what mattered around the police station in his efficient way, and Sasuke wouldn’t have to read Obito Uchiha’s handiwork. “Where’s Itachi?” he asked Shisui. 

Shisui’s smile dimmed a bit, but he was still too bright and too cheery. “Therapy. You know his fire doesn’t burn the strongest.” Unlike Shisui, who’d never seen a darkened day in his life, Itachi had spent a week in total night at the worryingly young age of sixteen. He’d been in weekly therapy since then, while most other Sharingan gifted Uchiha only went monthly.

“Has he been all right?” Sasuke asked.

Shisui shrugged. “Hard to say. He’s very private.”

Sasuke’s brows drew together. “You live together,” he emphasized. “Do you even have separate beds anymore?”

Shisui put his palms up in surrender. “He’s very private.” 

Sasuke resisted the urge to grind his teeth. He folded his arms. “Hn. When do I get my first assignment?” The frustration of dealing with his brother and Shisui aside, he wanted to start work on his new job as soon as possible. It had taken him long enough to get accepted into the police force in the first place. He didn’t want to waste time.

“Well, we’ve got a few cases going, one with a possible serial kidnapper or killer even.” Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. Nobody had been killed in forever. Those barbaric practices didn’t exist in their world anymore… So who was doing it now? “People keep vanishing and we don’t know where to, but there are signs that they weren’t planning on leaving so we think they might have been taken by force.”

Sasuke reached out for the file on Shisui’s desk. He’d take that case. He needed to show he could protect his village and be a great police officer. “That’s fine.”

“Slow down, tiger,” Shisui grinned, his hand blurred and the file was suddenly missing from Sasuke’s hand. He blinked. “You can do this one,” his clan-mate told him, handing him another, much thicker file. He wasn’t sure what to expect. A file so large might be because of someone destroying property, or stalking, or street brawling. It wasn’t a mystery possibly involving a killer but it would still be a challenge-

“Vandalism?” Sasuke stared at the pictures in shock. “Vandalism,” he repeated, thumbing through image after image of colorful graffiti adorning the sides of buildings he recognized from all around Konoha. They were huge, spanning whole sides of structures. “Shisui-” Sasuke began, a nerve in his temple beginning to tic.

“It’s your first day, Sasuke,” Shisui silenced him, poking him in the forehead. He couldn’t see his cousin move in time to dodge the gesture that had been applied to him painfully all through childhood… and now into his career life. Sasuke inhaled sharply, making an effort to relax his body. He didn’t rub the spot, that would be admitting that it had happened. “We’re still finding you a partner after all, but for a case like this you should be fine.”

Sasuke gritted his teeth. “All right.”

///

Sasuke patrolled the city for the lawbreakers on his bicycle. The small and as of yet unlit lantern hanging from a pole on his bicycle made soft metallic noises as he screeched to a stop. At the top of the post office- there were three figures. Probably one person around Sasuke's age, and two kids. “Hey, you- stop!” He put down his kickstand and ran over to the fire escape ladder.

“Shit, it’s the police,“ exclaimed the taller figure. His voice is rough and husky, and Sasuke thought he might know it. “Let’s go, kiddo!“ He rushed, picking up cans of spray paint and cramming them into a duffel he had slung over his shoulders. One of the kids booked it right away, but Sasuke wasn’t trying to catch the kids, the older guy was the ringleader. If he just caught that guy, the other two would probably have to stop. 

“Wait!” Sasuke shouted, even knowing they wouldn’t wait. 

The smaller figure, whose red ponytail stuck out from underneath her hoodie shouted: “You suck, duck butt!” And flipped him off with her tiny little kid finger.

Sasuke paused. “Duck butt?”

“Yeah, because of your hair-” She called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice carry.

Sasuke jumped to the top of the fire escape with an agility that surprised even himself. She gasped, she hadn't been expecting him to get so close in so little time. Sasuke couldn’t wait to tell her parents what she’d been getting up to. Just for the duck butt comment, he’d make sure she was personally grounded, not just their leader. 

The taller person grabbed the kid bodily in the nick of time and slung her over his shoulder. “C’mon kid, you’re gonna get us caught!” Sasuke tried to chase them, but they vanished in a yellow flash. A bright light burst into being only a foot away from him, dilating his pupils violently and stunning Sasuke hard enough to make him curl up, his hands over his teary eyes.

///

“And then the little one called me duck butt!” Sasuke complained in between sips of oolong tea. His mother giggled as she moved around the kitchen, tidying up. It was soothing to see her again and be home. It wasn't that his apartment was dirty or anything, but the things in his childhood home kind of seemed to have this extra quality that came from being cared for by her.

“Oh my,” she told him. “What an adventure to have all before lunchtime.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. She was too cheerful. “How have things been around here?” He asked, looking around the living room for any task he could apply himself to. “Need me to do anything?”

His mother patted his head, and he bore it. “No, dear, everything is fine. I have your father after all. Itachi comes by too.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Unless you want me to save you some chores?” Sasuke quickly shook his head. She laughed out loud. “It’s settled then.“

The door slid open and Itachi entered from outside. Sasuke leaned forward a bit to see the weather behind him. It was nice out, just like it had been the day before. “Mother,” Sasuke’s elder brother greeted with a quiet smile. He saw Sasuke and seemed a little surprised, but his smile didn’t slide. “Little brother-“

“Itachi,” Sasuke replied, nodding. “How’s the love nest?”

“It’s love-ly,” Itachi replied, emphasizing love in the same tone Sasuke had. Mikoto snickered. “Shisui is much neater than you ever were,” Itachi added, his expression as serene as ever.

Sasuke huffed. “And I assume he doesn’t mind when you ditch him for days on end without a word.”

“Boys,” their mother interrupted softly, ending the snippy exchange. “Enough.”

Itachi sniffed softly. “I’m on my way to see father. We can continue this petty argument later if you wish.”

“Who would seek you out for conversation?” Sasuke asked sarcastically. Itachi threw him a smirk and went through the next set of doors, leaving Sasuke and his mother alone again.

She turned to him and threw him a disappointed look. “You know you have to be kinder to your big brother. He sacrificed a lot for our clan.”

Sasuke huffed. It wasn’t as if Itachi thought he was entirely serious when they were harassing each other. It was just how they got along. “He doesn’t even take it that way-” Sasuke began. His mother’s expression sharpened and he fell silent, looking down. “... I know.”

“And if his fire dies-” She lectured.

“I have to be his light,” recited Sasuke, mechanically. It had been pressed into him for years. Itachi had been on the verge of darkness since he was very young, and no one quite knew why. It was important to treat him with care and make sure he kept a spark of hope. Talking to him the way Sasuke did was considered careless by his family because of that. “I know. Don’t think I would hesitate for a second,” he hissed. “Or does everyone think me a coward?”

“That’s not it,” his mother soothed quickly. “You’re very talented, Sasuke, and brave,” she touched his cheek. He didn’t want it to make him as happy as it did to hear her say that. “But I think it’s easy for you to get wrapped up in your thoughts since you’re alone all the time. You’re getting to the age where your brother can’t be your best friend anymore.” Sasuke pressed his lips together to keep himself from saying that Itachi had never had enough time to be Sasuke’s best friend. “It’s not bad if he and Shisui are becoming lovers at his age. Itachi was always so focused on work I thought he’d be alone for much longer.”

“Whatever.” He pulled away from her hand and walked outside. 

///

Sasuke was patrolling again after his lunch break. The vandals had come when Sasuke was off duty and completed their painting over the post office. It was garishly colored in orange, yellow, and acid green. The letters were mostly unreadable because of the weirdly warped writing and the color that made his eyes burn. But there was something about that yellow. Yellow? Yellow… Flash. “Namikaze,” he whispered in realization. He knew where he had to go.

He walked across town to the Hokage’s residence, hoping to talk to the man’s wife about her children. “Mrs. Namikaze-“ He greeted her when she opened the door. Her hair was as red as the ponytail he’d seen peeking out of the young girl’s hood. He suppressed the urge to smirk. His hunch must be right.

“Sasuke!” She cried, crushing him to her chest in a hug. It was a lot. He extricated himself as soon as possible. “Oh, I haven't seen you in so long!” She grabbed his cheeks, pulling them this way and that. “But you have to just call me Kushina like you used to!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sasuke agreed, rubbing the sore part of his cheek with his palm. She walked away into the house, so Sasuke had no choice but to take off his shoes and follow her to the kitchen. He didn’t mean to impose or stay long, but standing in the entryway alone wasn’t productive either. “I don’t mean to bother you-“

“Not at all. Please sit.” Sasuke took a seat at the absolutely laden dining room table. Kushina had prepared a feast of ramen and rice bowls and leftovers-sushi rolls. “Naruto and Noriko usually come home for lunch but he’s been out all day with her,” Kushina complained, she leaned out of the window to look for them once more as if she expected them to come running down the street at any moment. She let herself back down and huffed and a small sigh. She suddenly grinned at the young officer. “I guess… You’ll have to be their stand-in.”

Sasuke blinked. “The two of them eat all this?” And now he was expected to?

“Mmmm,” Kushina replied cheerily. “My darling boy is growing big and strong.” She twisted her long red hair in her fingers and stared forcefully at Sasuke until he took one of the plates and started collecting small things to eat. A bit of rice, some tomato and cucumber slices.

“Well, I came about Naruto actually-“ Sasuke paused as she snatched the plate from his hands and began piling a mountain of food on it. He took a breath for patience and continued. “I have evidence he’s the one vandalizing the town.”

“Now, now Sasuke.” She placed the plate back in front of him, now bearing an intimidating meal. Sasuke didn’t eat before his workouts but the way she was looking at him made it hard to argue. She pinched his cheek again. “We can worry about that later. When you’re not so skinny.”

“Ma’am,” he sighed, trying his best to be polite to his mom’s best friend, and the Hokage’s wife. “This is really too much.” It was way too much food and even on top of that, she was avoiding the topic of her son’s delinquency despite all of Sasuke’s best efforts.

“Sasuke,” she warned. She used her mom-voice, the one that could make anybody's skin absolutely crawl. “If you don’t eat, I’ll really be very upset, believe it!” She folded her arms, and her red hair began curling at the ends, separating into nine distinct tails. The atmosphere definitely heated up a few degrees.

Sasuke did believe it. “... All right.” He lifted a forkful to his mouth, ducking his head. It shouldn’t have mattered since Sasuke liked to eat mainly for nutrition, but the food was delicious. He preferred his mom's cooking overall, but this was a close second. He could tell Lady Kushina had cooked it for her children with a lot of care.

She grinned brightly, her bright red hair laying back flat against her shoulders, only slightly puffier than before. “So how’s the police station? And your new job? Do you have new friends?” Sasuke inhaled, not sure where to begin. “Ah, I’m sorry! That’s probably way too many questions.”

“Uhm, yes. I like it,” Sasuke forged on. “I don’t have a partner yet,” he admitted.

“That’s too bad. I’m sure you’ll get one soon!” She cheered “Do your best!” She gripped her bicep, taking on a stance of exuberant positivity. “Now it's been very nice having you but I have to get started on dinner.” Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but it was her home, and all he could do was be helplessly ushered out the door. “You take care now, and come over for lunch again soon!”

Sasuke sighed, finding him standing outside on the path back to the main street. It was already getting sort of dark, and Sasuke’s workday had technically ended. He had no desire to look for the vandal in his free time, so he went home instead.


	3. Day 3

The next morning Sasuke reported to work and checked in as ‘on duty’. He then hit the streets on foot, knowing the noise of his bike would give him away from afar. No matter how convenient it was, Uzumaki Naruto, the suspect, had already proven himself capable of reacting quickly to a threat. Instead of chasing him down, Sasuke planned to sneak up on him.

When Sasuke saw the suspect facing a brick wall that formed the side of a shopping center and making a square with his fingers and thumbs to picture his canvas, it was clear that he thought he was safe. He never checked behind him to see if he was being watched. Sasuke kept well behind him, crouching near some bushes to obscure his presence. He did so earlier than he thought he needed to, just to be sure, then edged closer and closer to the suspect’s actual location.

Sasuke felt a faint breeze on the back of his neck and had to resist the urge to sigh. It felt nice to get wind on a warm day. The suspect paused, casting a surprisingly sharp look over his shoulder. “Hey, you?” Sasuke’s eyes flitted in that direction to see if someone was coming. No one came. The other youth sighed and made direct eye-contact with Sasuke’s hiding spot. Found out. But how? He was sure he hadn’t made a sound or moved into view. “Are you gonna stop stalking me?” 

Sasuke revealed himself. There was no point in hiding if the enemy knew your location already.

“Hey, you’re… Sasuke aren’t you?” Naruto’s eyes widened comically. “I haven’t seen you in ages!” He rushed over to crush Sasuke in a hug, but the Uchiha was quicker and dodged the unasked contact. Besides, there was paint all over him, and Sasuke’s uniform was still very new.

“Back off,” Sasuke ordered. “I know you’ve been committing criminal acts.”

His bright smile became sly and narrow. While Naruto’s mother was known to be the nine tails, Naruto looked fox-like as well, because of the lines etched into his cheeks. “Prove it-“ he smirked. 

“There’s paint on your sleeve.” Sasuke hissed. Naruto looked down, blinking rapidly. Idiot. “The suspect was wearing orange clothes.” Sasuke plucked the orange sleeve of the other male’s jacket. “You didn’t make it to lunch yesterday because you thought I was still pursuing you.”

“Okay, so you have some evidence,” Naruto replied, folding his arms behind his head. He looked so laid back it might give Sasuke hives. “But look, I’m the Hokage’s son.” Sasuke stared at him. After a small pause, he felt the need to clarify: “You’re better off just moving on, junior officer Uchiha Sasuke.” He said Sasuke’s name teasingly, mocking the profession of his clan. Sasuke’s hands are tightened into fists. If they’d been shoved into playpens together as children, fine, but this man was asking for a fight. 

“The law is not so flexible,” Sasuke bit out. The blond youth yelped as he was none too gently wrestled into steel handcuffs. “You’re under arrest.”

Naruto pouted, jerking his wrists in the metal cuffs. “C’mon, Sasuke. It’s so much prettier now.“ He jerked his head at the garishly graffitied wall and Sasuke scoffed.

Instead of honoring that statement with a response, Sasuke began to tell the other his rights. “You have certain rights given to you by the village of Konoha. We will contact a relative and allow them to see you. We will allow you to fight accusations in front of a judge-“

Naruto jerked. “No way!” He groaned. “This is so boring!”

“Would you let me finish?” Sasuke hissed.

“I’d love to.“ Naruto grinned. “But unfortunately, I’m late to being not arrested.” He puffed out of existence.

“Shadow clone,” Sasuke realized. And with how long he’d been dithering around with the clone, the real Naruto was long gone. So the blond delinquent was a shinobi after all. Sasuke wouldn’t underestimate him the next time. 

///

“So you wanted to talk to me about crime in Konoha?” the Hokage asked as soon as Sasuke was waved into his office. Sasuke folded his hands behind his back and nodded. The delinquent Sasuke had briefly caught was the spitting image of his father. Minato beckoned for the young officer to step closer to his desk. “At ease. Tell me what’s going on, Sasuke.”

Sasuke sat in one of the hard wooden chairs in front of the Hokage’s desk. “It’s your son,” Sasuke announced after steeling himself for being thrown out. “He’s the one vandalizing the town.” He had taken photos of the fresh graffiti and placed these on the Hokage’s desk as evidence.

The Hokage laughed heartily, flicking through the photos. “I always knew he had an artistic flair.” One of his masked aides brought him a piece of paper, he quickly scanned and signed it, before passing it back. “Is that all?” He asked, looking back up at Sasuke.

Sasuke’s brows drew together. Wasn’t it obvious what else? “Make him present himself for judgment.”

The Hokage smiled serenely. He waved a photo at Sasuke, one that consisted of blue and white zephyr spirals. “But they’re so much prettier now.”

Sasuke twitched. “That’s not how it works-” he ground out.

“Watch your tone with the Hokage young man,” snapped the Anbu guard. Sasuke flinched, bowing his head. He’d forgotten himself.

“Sir,” he acquiesced, keeping his eyes pinned to the floor.

“Calm down. He’s a family friend,” the Hokage ordered. He smiled, waving off Sasuke’s behavior. 

“Lord Hokage-“ Sasuke began.

“Look if it bothers you so much why don’t you encourage him to paint murals or something?” Murals? Sasuke was many things but he wasn’t an art teacher. “I hate to kick you out but I’m really busy and the kid’s not really hurting anyone.” Sasuke nodded, swallowing his further arguments with great effort. “You don’t have any information about the serial killer do you?”

Sasuke shook his head. “No. I’m not on that case.”

The Hokage frowned. “Well, it seems to me like Naruto is a waste of your time. Why don’t you ask for a transfer?”

Sasuke nodded, bowing. “I would agree, sir.”

///

“I want a different mission.” Sasuke stood in front of Obito's desk, the way he’d previously been standing in front of the Hokage’s. This seemed like it would be one of those days- going from authority to authority trying to get the smallest thing done. “The Hokage himself says I’m wasting time when there’s possibly a serial killer on the loose.”

Obito’s genial one-sided smile faded. Now both halves of his face grimaced. “Ooooh. That’s tough,” Obito informed him, steepling his fingertips.

Sasuke scowled. “Why?”

Obito waffled for a bit, pretending to look at something in his papers. It was obvious he was waffling and that made it worse. “Because-” he began, and then continued, no more confident than before: “well it’s just that-”

“You take what I give you, boy.” Sasuke resisted the urge to jump and even let out a little squeak. Obito’s desk was in front of Madara’s office, but that hadn’t prepared Sasuke for him randomly striding out and addressing a rookie directly. “Don’t forget that the order of this town is dependent on discipline and loyalty.” Sasuke snapped his posture tighter. “Am I understood?”

“Yes, but-” it ripped out of Sasuke. only because his mission was so unfair and useless and he needed to prove himself and running around after an orange idiot was not the way to do that.

“Wonderful.” Madara rolled over him and Sasuke’s voice caught because speaking while Madara was talking seemed like an excellent way to get badly hurt, if not lose his life. Killing was illegal and hadn’t happened in ages but Madara was… different. It didn’t seem that the rules applied to him. He wasn’t called one of the gods of shinobi for no reason. Madara punched his palm, his expression serious when he ordered: “Catch that vandal. He struck the house next to mine just last week.” Sasuke blinked. So that was why? “As someone who has guided this clan from long-houses into modern architecture, I refuse to have such flagrant use of color and cartoonish form disgracing the walls of our honorable compound.”

Something caught on Sasuke’s mind about that statement. He couldn’t explain why until he realized: “Hold on- How are you even still alive?”

“Excuse me?” It was deceptively cool. Sasuke knew he’d made a horrible mistake from the way the older man’s aura shifted. He needed to get away right that second.

“Nothing, sir,” he quickly replied. 

“Then,” asked the Elder Uchiha, his voice sharp as the edge of a kitchen knife. “Why are you still here?”

Sasuke bowed and left as quickly as he could without embarrassing himself by running.


	4. Day 4

Sasuke noticed when Naruto noticed him. It happened even more quickly than the last time. Sasuke was sure he hadn’t been seen... so how? “Listen, we have to talk about this,“ Naruto said, his back still turned on where Sasuke was observing him from. “It’s weird. If you wanna hang out again I don’t mind.”

“What’s that?” Sasuke asked, stepping out. Naruto looked around, pretending to be oblivious even though he was holding a spray can. “Behind you, dumbass.”

Naruto grinned as if admitting to being caught. “Oh- well you see,” he began, his expression becoming thoughtful. “It's an expression of my feelings when I think about Konoha as a military power and it’s responsibilities to smaller nations-“ Sasuke didn’t have time to listen to that nonsense. Fed up with the orange moron Sasuke slapped the can out of his hand and wrested his arms behind his back. He was fairly sure it wasn’t a clone this time, he hadn’t observed Naruto for as long this time, and Sasuke had grabbed the blond as soon as he was noticed. “Ugh, you jerk!” Naruto cried, whimpering as Sasuke twisted him into submission.

“You’re under arrest,” Sasuke hissed. “If you shut the hell up, I can tell you your rights.” He twisted the delinquent's wrist further than was comfortable, knowing that if injured a shadow clone would just poof out of existence. It was not necessarily his way to injure people he was arrested, but this criminal had eluded him a few times already. When Naruto just made a soft sound of discomfort, Sasuke stopped twisting. He smirked, triumphant. “I know you’re not a shadow clone, so you won’t be getting away this time.”

“That hurt, you know?” Sasuke ignored the delinquent’s useless babbling. But as he was starting to push his captive towards the police station the blond jerked hard against the cuffs. “And so does this.” It was half a gasp, and before Sasuke’s eyes, Naruto's thumbs dislocated and he slid out of the cuffs.

Sasuke stared. “Did you just-“ he began. There was no way. “To get off a vandalism charge?”

“Yeah, I think so,” came the hissed reply. Sasuke was pleased to hear that at least it was full of regret. “But it’s a bitch-” The Uzumaki made fists and his thumbs popped back into their proper places, just like that. Sasuke would have done something but his stomach was turning. Naruto grinned, amused by Sasuke’s dumbfounded expression. “See you 'round.”

///

“Well an injury like that is nothing to a demon vessel,” Itachi chuckled, taking another sip from the mug of tea. Behind him, Shisui sat on the ugly police station desk and deftly twisted Itachi’s long, dark hair into a braid. He had his legs on either side of Itachi’s torso, and Itachi had placed one of his elbows comfortably on the other’s knee. Sasuke suppressed a noise of disgust. 

Their public affection was inexcusable. Sure it was lunch break, but they were still at work, wearing the Konoha PD uniforms no less. Couldn’t they rip themselves apart for a few hours each day to represent their noble clan? “He was probably healed by the time you picked your jaw off the floor,” Itachi added, giving Sasuke a knowing slantwise look.

“Shut up,” Sasuke groused, flushing. His brother was much too perceptive, even when absorbed with his best friend turned boy-toy. Sasuke raised his eyebrow, realizing something. “He’s a vessel, too?” It felt like the answer should be: of course he was. As soon as he heard it he instantly believed the verity of the statement. It wasn’t like Itachi would lie to him but it rang true in a way like Sasuke had already known it before. But Sasuke couldn’t remember hearing such a thing. The demon vessel of the leaf he’d learned at school was Kushina Uzumaki.

“You didn’t know he was a vessel?” Shisui asked curiously.

“It’s because Mrs. Namikaze has half and is the official one,” Itachi clarified for them both. “He has the other. It’s passed down in the family, almost like a blood-line.” Sasuke nodded hesitantly. That made sense, right? But it seemed wrong somehow. “The reason you don't know is because of the fact that they keep the younger ones secret.”

“Until they learn to protect themselves,” Sasuke surmised. That explained why someone who lived basically as a civilian knew how to use smoke bombs, and shadow clones. They were important evasion measures. “And they split it because its power is too great for one vessel?” Itachi smiled at him. It was only a little condescending. Sasuke closed his eyes, storing the information, and comparing it to what he knew. He supposed it matched up well enough. “I see.”

“Keep trying, Sasuke,” Shisui encouraged, smiling brightly. “I’m sure you’ll eventually bring him to justice.” Itachi reached behind his shoulder at the precise moment that Shisui finished the braid. The hair tie changed possession in a practiced motion before being wound around the end of Itachi's hair. Shisui pulled slightly at his creation, straightening and tucking loose strands of hair.

Sasuke scowled. As if it was that easy to do police work on his own. Especially when it came to apprehending the Hokage's son who was apparently also a demon vessel. “I still don't have a partner.” Sure it sounded a lot like whining, but he was pretty sure if he didn’t speak up at some point they would forget. He’d never get a real case and always be Itachi’s baby brother at work. “None of you are going to help me?”

Shisui gave him a deeply apologetic look. “There are more serious things going on. People have vanished.” For half a moment, Shisui looked deeply morose. Then he patted Sasuke’s brother’s shoulders, his mood flipping back to chipper. “How’s that, Itachi?”

“Thank you Shisui, you do it so well,” Itachi praised, running his fingers over the twisted strands.

“You two shouldn’t be working together anymore since you’re married now,” Sasuke teased, smirking when they both blushed. On top of being disgustingly happy together, they were also embarrassingly domestic. Even the two of them knew that much was over the top.

Of course, Shisui recovered in less than a second. “What do you think, Itachi?” He was pretending for all the world that it was a serious question.

“I couldn’t see myself with another partner,” Itachi replied. “And it's time we get back to our work finding a suspect.” He stood, flipping the braid over his shoulder in one elegant motion. Shisui hopped off the desk to follow him. “I’ll see you, little brother.” With those parting words, he walked away.

“Keep it wavy!” Shisui added, making a water-like motion with his hand. Sasuke grimaced. How tacky.

“Ugh- bye,” he hissed after the two of them, plopping down into Itachi’s abandoned swivel chair. 

///

After lunch, he patrolled the streets, but of course, the vandal was laying low. Sasuke knew he couldn’t bust into the Hokage’s house and arrest Naruto. It was obvious that both of his parents were willing to cover for him, bail him out, use nepotism, and just generally do whatever it took to make sure their son didn’t have to take responsibility for himself.

Sasuke frowned when his doorbell rang. Nobody was supposed to be here. He hadn’t told anyone but his family where he lived. As far as his family went, he was still prepared to be pissed off unless it was his mother. He opened the door and was more than pissed off. “It’s you.“ The blonde grinned, nodding. Fool. He was a complete and total fool. Sasuke groaned internally. He folded his arms and tried to stare the delinquent down. “I’m off duty right now so can you turn yourself in tomorrow?”

“I realized I missed you,” the blond replied, completely undeterred. Sasuke blinked. Well, he hadn’t been expecting that. “We used to hang out all the time, but somehow I feel like we haven't talked in years.” He seemed to think for a minute. Or remember. Sasuke resisted the urge to also remember but memories of them as kids and their shenanigans sprung to his mind unbidden. He tried to clamp down on the involuntary reminiscing. It would make him soft. It was still his job to arrest this person. “You like, just got me in ways other people didn’t, and I want to spend time with you again.”

“What?” Sasuke had to have heard that wrong. Was this person asking him to hang out? “How did you get my address?”

“Your mom told me.” Sasuke sighed heavily. Even his own mother? “Let’s be friends.” Naruto’s eyes were deep blue and painfully earnest. He smiled and it was like staring right into the sun. Sasuke sputtered. What was he supposed to do? He wanted to tell the idiot there were years between them, and whatever friendship Naruto remembered, if he even remembered properly, was long gone. He would have said something along those lines if the next thing Naruto said didn’t sideline him so hard. “Better yet, go on a date with me.”

Siren’s went off in the Uchiha’s mind as several thousand emotions and thoughts fired off at once. He couldn’t reply to this. He had to-

He slammed the door in Naruto’s face.

Naruto knocked on the door a few more times, but eventually gave up, and Sasuke heard his steps retreating down the hallway. Sasuke hung out with Tama and read a book, and eventually found a good stopping point, at which he’d decided to go to bed and sleep. He tried not to think about being asked on a date. He did anyway.

Laying on his pillow, without his novel to distract him, thoughts of that offer filled his mind. He was ashamed that part of him was curious. Even if Naruto was a delinquent, Sasuke could tell he was still as fundamentally open and kind as he had been in Sasuke’s reluctantly recalled memories of their childhood. 

He wondered if Naruto was the type of date who would bring flowers, or pulled out chairs. He wondered what it would feel like for Naruto to hold his hand, and walk him home. He rolled over in bed, pulling his pillow over his head. Whatever, the only reason for Sasuke to even entertain this was because he’d never been on a date before. None of the girls who asked him out appealed to him, and by the time he realized it was because he wasn’t into women, people considered him too standoffish to ask on a date. He’d told himself he was fine with it, and he was.

Tama poked her nose between the gap of his mattress and pillow, not about to be excluded from whatever angsting he was doing. She meowed, complaining, when he rolled away from her, and then climbed on top of him to search for his face on the other side, walking on him like he wasn’t his own being and just some inanimate piece of furniture. He couldn’t help but smile at that. He lifted his pillow up and she head-butted his cheek, purring loudly. He stroked a hand over her fur and felt himself relaxing as she purred louder and curled herself into a donut shape, tucking herself close to him. 

If Tama liked Sasuke so much despite his moodiness, maybe Naruto honestly did too. It was possible that… asking him out hadn’t been a trick. Maybe it wouldn’t be too terrible to have someone else get close to him. And, if Naruto really wanted to be Sasuke’s friend, maybe he’d give up being a petty criminal. Sasuke fell asleep in a slightly lighter mood. He’d decide in the morning how to communicate his offer.


	5. Day 5

“- gorgeous,” the blonde girl flirted, Sasuke assumed, sliding into the earshot of Naruto and her conversation. Naruto was putting finishing touches on a vast piece of graffiti that seemed to represent the forest that surrounded Konoha. There was a highly detailed orange fox prowling between the trees, and an imposing falcon keeping guard from the canopy. Naruto was working on adding shading and definition to the falcon. Sasuke had only just managed to track down the orange eyesore and he’d already managed to mostly complete such an expansive project. Sasuke was reluctantly kind of impressed.

“Oh, hey!” Naruto climbed down from the ladder, and put his hands on his hips, observing his masterpiece from afar. Once he was satisfied he turned to her. “What can I do for ya, miss Yamanaka?”

“Cutie, you better call me Ino,” the blonde girl gushed, getting right into Naruto’s personal space and grabbing his hand. “I wanna spend some time with you, you know," she smiled, copying Naruto’s usual speech affectation to try and charm him, biting her lower lip. She tilted her head to the side. She had pretty hair, and she pulled it along her neck, drawing attention to her features. Sasuke seethed as Naruto’s eyes followed. Just yesterday- just yesterday he’d asked Sasuke out! “I could drown in your baby blues,” Ino Yamanaka continued, swishing her ponytail in a gesture that Sasuke had to concede might do something for him… if he were into women.

“You’re not leaving me any compliments to give you, ya know,” Naruto laughed. He’d noticed her mirroring and instead of finding it annoying, Naruto had just thought it was funny. Or maybe he hadn’t noticed, maybe he was just that stupid. Sasuke felt a strange fury building in him as he watched their exchange. “I wanna say you’re super hot, but you definitely know that.” From Ino’s slightly popped foot to the hand Naruto let rest on her narrow waist, leaving a smear of verdant green paint when he moved it, the image before Sasuke was making him boil with the type of rage he couldn’t remember feeling, but somehow understood he was more than capable of. It felt strangely familiar in his chest.

“Well then, stop talking,” she replied easily. She grabbed his hand and turned to leave, placing it on her shoulder. “Follow me.” Sasuke didn’t bother continuing surveillance. Naruto wouldn’t vandalize anything else while he was with her. He wondered why that didn’t give him any peace.


	6. Day 6

Naruto was sitting on a park bench seemingly taking the sun when Sasuke came upon him next. He hadn’t reappeared the whole day after going off with Ino, or the next day either. Instead of hiding, Sasuke just walked up to the other youth. Naruto brightened on seeing him. “Hey Sasuke, did you think about-” Sasuke’s hand lashed out, silencing a no doubt idiotic question about whether or not Sasuke would accompany him on a date or not. Naruto stumbled back, his palm over his reddened cheek. “Whoa, what did I do?” He was leaving blue smudges on his cheek, and there were the beginnings of an outline on the brick behind him in that color. Not that Sasuke needed any more evidence to convict this bastard.

“You-” Sasuke hissed out, his flame blazing with the heat of his anger. Naruto ducked slightly from the severity of the accusation. “You asked me on a date and then you went out with her-”

“That wasn’t a date per se,” Naruto complained, rubbing the red from his cheek. "We were just making out and hanging for an afternoon." Even worse. Sasuke knew he’d hit the other youth like a whip with his hand, and that it would be painful for a while. Even so, upon hearing that, he wished from somewhere deep and black within him that he’d smacked the blond even harder. 

Naruto let his hand drop, one blue eye still watering. He pressed his until then unsure mouth into a firm line and then retorted: “But you were stalking me again, weren’t you? Is it really my fault what you saw?”

Sasuke tossed his head. Stalking. As if the Uchiha police force didn’t have the right to observe known suspects in public areas. “Observing,” Sasuke corrected. “You were vandalizing something and you’re lucky I didn’t drag you off from your little tryst.” He should have but he’d just been so… shocked. Something in him hadn’t considered the possibility that the blond would give up so easily. It must mean the offer to go out had meant absolutely nothing. A passing fancy, or even worse, a distraction to aid his escape. Well, Sasuke wouldn’t be falling for it again.

“Glossing over the fact that you were definitely stalking me.” Sasuke scoffed, and Naruto’s mouth twitched into a frown. Still, he continued. “You never agreed, in fact, you turned me down pretty roughly. I didn’t know you were interested in me at all.” 

“I’m not,” Sasuke snapped. In the end, Naruto was still an idiot, and Sasuke didn’t like idiots. He especially didn’t want to rub the blue paint of his soft-looking, freckled, cheek.

“Then why are you jealous?” It shocked Sasuke out of staring at him. How could he be jealous over- over- this admittedly very attractive person? Then all of a sudden Naruto was super close, his eyes turned sharp and cutting. “You... haven’t really kissed, or done anything with anyone have you?” 

“I’m gay,” Sasuke deflected. “Women don’t interest me.” 

“You haven’t done anything with a guy either.” Sasuke couldn’t help the flush that rose to his cheeks. Naruto’s assessment was too on the nose. No, he’d never dated anyone. “It’s really surprising that someone as beautiful as you still hasn't had a partner,” Naruto teased, grinning. Sasuke scowled. “Ah, so you make that face. I get it now.”

“Fuck you,” Sasuke told him.

Naruto just laughed, touching his belly as the giggles shook his garishly colored body. When he got himself under control again he asked: “So, where do you want to go eat?”

“Nowhere with you.” Sasuke declined him in the flattest voice he could muster. Naruto’s half doubled over position made Sasuke remember what he came here to do. He slapped cuffs on the fool. “You’re under arrest. Again.” 

“Just admit you want to go to dinner,” Naruto argued, wrestling against Sasuke’s grip all the way down to the police station.

When Sasuke arrived at the station his father was manning the front desk. “You caught him,” Fugaku acknowledged in mild surprise. Then he shrugged, turning back to the scroll he’d been absorbed in before. “Put him in cell eight.”

“Don’t eat anything!” Naruto was crowing some nonsense or other as Sasuke shoved him into the cell. He didn’t pay much attention to it. He planned to go straight to the back and demand to be put onto the real case. The important one involving the missing people. He needed to find out who they were and begin investigating everyone who knew them. 

“They aren’t here to give you a new mission right now.” Sasuke stopped short of the door into the police station proper. Of course. He scoffed, frustrated. His father spared him a glance, then pushed out the chair on his left for Sasuke. “Come man the desk with me ‘til it's quitting time.” Sasuke sat, and took out a fresh scroll and pen to take the record of Naruto’s arrest. At least his father already had the ink prepared. “Mom wants you over for dinner,” Fugaku mused into the silence. 

“When?” Sasuke paused before dipping his writing implement into the ink. Writing with ink was too messy to do while distracted.

“Tomorrow,” came the reply. “She said if you agree to tell you to bring the meat.” His father’s eyes, usually so direct, were fixed to the far wall, and a tiny smile was threatening to tick his lips up on one side.

“She asked you to pick up the meat, didn’t she,” Sasuke accused, seeing right through his father’s specific brand of avoidance that let everyone in his family know he was skipping out on groceries and other things he thought were women’s work. “Way to be progressive.”

“That doesn't matter now,” Fugaku smoothly rolled over Sasuke with his father voice and a shrug that said he didn’t care one bit. He followed it up with: “Come by seven or dinner won't be ready at eight.” So he wasn’t going to do his chore, but he also planned to be picky about when it was completed.

There was no point arguing. It would be Sasuke walking to the market, no matter what he said after this. “Yes, father.” Resigned, Sasuke dipped his pen into the ink and began to fill out the intake form for Naruto Uzumaki's booking.

“That’s Naruto Namikaze,” his father corrected, reaching under the table and giving Sasuke a fresh sheet. He pointed to the incorrect name. Sasuke nodded, knowing his father was right. He rewrote it. Then he crumpled up the form for Naruto Uzumaki, and threw it away.

After about an hour, a tiny redheaded girl in a white and pink sundress entered the station. Was she the other suspect? Without the hoodie, she was tiny and fine limbed; in that stage of growth where children looked all long and coltish. Sasuke realized with a jolt that he’d never seen her before. But his parents had been friends with the Namikaze family for years. Had he been so avoidant of family events during his patch of darkness, that he’d entirely missed this girl?

Her surprisingly loud voice shook him from his thoughts. “Here’s bail from daddy. Let my brother out, please.” She set a thick white envelope on the table. He picked it up and felt the soft crush of many aligned bills inside. Sasuke opened it and reeled from the numbers on the bills as his brain did the math and figured out the sum that she’d brought. Sasuke hadn’t even put a bail amount on the form yet, but this would easily cover bail for attacking another person, forget about vandalism.

“Of course, miss,” Fugaku accepted smoothly, taking the envelope out of Sasuke’s hand and placing it into a drawer, which he then locked. He passed her a sweet from a big glass bowl on the desk. “Lollipop?”

She immediately yanked off the plastic wrap and stuck it into her mouth. “Shank shou-” she mouthed around the crystallized sugar, going to sit on the waiting bench. She kicked her feet while she waited. Fugaku took the form from in front of Sasuke and waved his hand in the general direction of the cells. Sasuke opened his mouth to ask if his father was serious, but no words came out. 

Numbly, he walked over to cell eight, only a short time after sticking him in there. He had hoped that even as the Hokage's son, Naruto would have to spend at least the night in the cold prison, regretting his sins. Not so. Sasuke’s hands felt heavy like lead when he unlocked the cell. “Hey Sasuke, you waited! Work up an appetite yet?”

Sasuke opened the cell and gestured to the hallway. “Go home.” He turned and made to go back to the desk.

“Don’t be like that,” Naruto whined. “I’m sure dad sent some extra cash for me to eat something,” he coaxed, walking backwards to keep face to face with Sasuke. He tried to meet Sasuke’s eyes but Sasuke was studiously pretending he wasn’t there. “Come with me and Noriko-“

“I’m going home,” he hissed. “I don’t want anything to do with you. I hate trash like you.” Naruto stopped in his tracks. The pain in his face was so evident for a brief moment that even Sasuke’s stomach clenched. He didn’t let it slow him down. Without breaking his stride he turned to the desk. “See you tomorrow, father.” And then he was out the door. He knew if he looked back he would see Naruto in the doorway, reaching after him.

He didn’t stop.


	7. Day 7

The next morning he marched up to Obito’s desk. He hesitated for a moment when he saw the captain of the police sitting with his legs crossed on Obito’s desk, but then he decided he didn’t care if Madara was within earshot. He’d done what was asked of him. Even if they didn’t put him on the main case, they needed to give him something more serious than mere graffiti. “Can I get a new assignment? I brought him in.”

Obito opened his mouth to answer but Madara beat him to it. “But he’s free again.” Sasuke twitched. Well on bail technically. But for all intents and purposes, Madara was right. Naruto might be painting another cursed stain on the town as they spoke. “Free to ruin my home, the honorable Uchiha district.”

Sasuke shivered at the violence that lay just under the surface. In their pacifistic day and age, there simply weren’t people like Madara around anymore. The ones that were, were dangerous criminals. “I have to find a way to permanently imprison him?” Was that the only way Naruto would be off his plate?

“Yes, like violating his bail, or a more serious crime,” Obito chimed it, probably happy to have been given an excused. Why didn’t they want him working more serious cases? They must think he wasn’t good enough or strong enough to serve as a police officer. Shame gripped him because for what other reason would they prevent him from contributing to an issue that was affecting the whole town?

“Or you could just kill him,” Madara suggested lightly. Sasuke flinched to even hear the word.

“We don’t do that anymore, sir-” Obito corrected in a rush. “In fact to even suggest-”

“Oh, right,” Madara sighed, sounding like there was a deep well of exhaustion and frustration there somewhere. Sasuke shivered again. He was getting no better at controlling his response to the aura around his supposed ancestor. Madara looked at Sasuke, surprise registering in his face as if he had forgotten Sasuke was there. His eyes flashed red. “You. Get out.”

And so, Sasuke fled. He supposed he better go find Naruto committing a crime or something. Honestly, he was getting tired of the whole thing, and just wanted to go home. But duty made him spend five more hours patrolling the town, scolding kids for loitering (even knowing from his own childhood that they’d just go loiter somewhere less visible) and helping people cross the street before he allowed himself to mentally clock out. It was darkening when he made his way home, and he was honestly praying that he didn’t see Naruto and that he could just relax that night.

It wasn’t his luck because the blond was right near his apartment, sizing up a brick wall with obvious mischievous intent. Sasuke didn’t know what possessed him to speak to the Hokage’s son instead of just letting him paint on the wall and arresting him after the fact. Either way, he found himself calling out. “You’re on bail right now.” Naruto turned, and waved at him, grinning. “Is the only way to make sure you stop doing that to constantly follow you around?”

Naruto shrugged. “Maybe?” he teased. “But I was just looking at the architecture, good luck proving anything else.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and started walking.

“Where are you going?” Sasuke didn’t rush after. He didn’t. But he did hurry. He hurried so much that before he knew it he’d followed that orange eyesore off the street and into a restaurant. Sasuke hesitated. The soft music and rush of cool air completely blindsided his thought process.

As he did that the blonde turned to the host and grinned. “Reservation for two.”

“No,” Sasuke refused, taking a horrified step backwards.

Naruto learned by his ear and whispered: “If you don’t come, I’ll paint the bathroom,” and then he had the gall to add, “No one would be there to stop me,” in a soft, teasing, singsong.

Sasuke felt volcanic. Felt conflicting pressures turn his core into a molten inferno and the combined heat of all that impotent frustration fighting for an escape route. He’d been told multiple times that he couldn’t brew in negative feelings. He said: “Hn.” 

When the waitress waved the two menus at them, he followed. He had to make sure that Naruto didn’t keep breaking the law. Even if it meant watching him eat and waiting for his opportunity to slap cuffs on him again. He was pretty sure, after all, that Naruto would not be able to resist defacing someone’s property for long. Naruto would slip up, and Sasuke just had to be patient so he could be there. It was just a waiting game, and the Uchiha planned to win. 

“So anyway, what do you like to eat?” Naruto asked, flipping through the laminated pages. He bit his lip, humming softly as he tried to decide. “I recommend-”

“Save it.” Sasuke leaned back in the chair, folding his arms. “I’m not eating.” Food would only slow him down, or make him sleepy.

“Even if it’s my treat?” Naruto coaxed. Sasuke said nothing. After a moment, Naruto made a noise of annoyance and snapped: “I don’t remember you being so boring.”

“I want sake-” Sasuke snapped. “They won’t give it to me but you’re the Fourth Hokage’s son, right?” It was a challenge. He wouldn’t mind if Naruto embarrassed himself or got in trouble trying to meet it. Besides, he could use a damn drink after the week he’d had.

“That’s breaking a rule,” Naruto teased. His eyes narrowed, and the lines on his cheeks became deeper, more like the whiskers on a mischievous fox than ever before. “Our parents aren’t here~” Sasuke scoffed and decided to get up. This was a waste of his time. “Hey!” Naruto caught Sasuke’s wrist and kept him from standing. “Don’t change your mind. I’m ordering.” 

The sake came and after that- after that Sasuke kind of lost track of time. He remembered drinking fast, a bit of swirling, and suddenly he and Naruto were sitting on the same side of the booth with Naruto’s arm slung around him. “Anyway and then and then- we all screamed and hid in the living room all night,” Naruto finished, breaking down into laughter.

“A family of idiots,” he heard himself answer. Some part of him was keeping track of events, leading a half-decent conversation. The rest of him was fascinated by Naruto’s mouth and the way it moved when he spoke, and the way his smile involved his whole face and even his body, the side of which Sasuke could feel tensing and relaxing against his own.

“Fuck you,” Naruto clapped back. He stood, stretching. “You want to get out of here?” He asked, taking Sasuke’s forearm and helping him up. “Want me to walk you home?”

“No. I’ll walk you home,” Sasuke countered. If he delivered Naruto to his home, then he wouldn’t be able to go out and do graffiti, or at least... he wouldn’t do it on the outer walls of Sasuke's apartment building in a drunken stupor after dropping Sasuke off.

“If you say so,” Naruto allowed. He led the way, and Sasuke followed, fighting his body to keep it from stumbling and ending up face first in the pavement. Sasuke ran a mental self-diagnostic and discovered that he was pretty much super drunk, and the fact that his mind could only supply him with that terrible assessment was more evidence than he needed of his impairment. “Hold on, I need a minute,” Naruto panted. He plopped onto a city bench under some trees and stretched out his legs.

Sasuke gratefully followed suit. He was clumsy, and one of his arms came to rest a little on Naruto, but he didn’t care at that moment. He tipped his head back and breathed, trying to make the world steady again. He wasn’t an experienced drinker by any means. He might have overdone it.

Sasuke jerked slightly when he felt Naruto’s touch on his arm, tracing the inner side, along the blood vessels, and then across the inside of the elbow. He sat up a bit. “What are you doing?” He asked. He didn’t snatch his arm back because the tracing felt… nice. And he was drunk so, whatever.

“I feel like I can see a tattoo on you,” Naruto admitted. His eyes were intense. “I can see the lines or whatever spreading out and I want to draw them.” He pulled out a black felt tip marker from one of his jacket pockets. “Can I?” he asked. There was no subterfuge. No trick, just an honest request.

“Is that non-toxic?” Sasuke snipped, but he was already nodding and relaxing his arm into Naruto’s grip. 

“Fairly sure,” the other murmured, already absorbed in what he was drawing. The “tattoo” if it could be called that, consisted of a bunch of jagged lines. They seemed lifelike to Sasuke’s drunken eyes, thicker zigzags sparking and branching off into multiple finer lines. Some of them seemed to spread out like fingers, or little twisted trees. It started on his palm, and when Naruto moved so he could see it, there was a dense ball of radial spikes resting his hand. Sasuke felt his arm violently tense as if he were holding something volatile and dangerous in check.

“Chidori?” he whispered and didn’t know why.

“What?” Naruto looked up, the marker on Sasuke’s skin coming to a complete halt. “What did you just say?” He asked again, his voice encouraging.

Sasuke shook his head, and the sudden urge to vomit came over him. He gritted his teeth and breathed deeply, forcing his body to relax and accept what he’d done to it. “Nothing,” he pressed out when he could sort of breathe.

“Oh, man,” Naruto fretted, touching Sasuke’s forehead. “Let me get you some water from that convenience store.” Sasuke nodded weakly. “Stay put, okay?” As if he could go anywhere. From his head’s lolled position, he could see his palm. 

Chidori!

Sasuke’s head filled with high pitched noise and he shuddered, sitting up. He felt a little better, and Naruto was already crossing the street back from the convenience store. The cold water he gave Sasuke was life-saving. Then he pulled Sasuke onto his feet and put an arm around his waist to lead him somewhere. “You sobered up fast,” Sasuke commented, feeling the steadiness of the body he was leaning against. Shortly ago, Naruto had been stumbling too. They’d stopped because Naruto had been having trouble walking.

“It’s the nine-tails,” Naruto replied, saying the cursed name casually. “It’s a real bitch when you wanna get wasted, but great when you’re trying to walk home.”

“I see,” Sasuke replied. They had come to Naruto’s house. He recognized the front garden and pretty white fence. “We should have parted ways,” Sasuke realized. He’d have to walk all the way home, drunk. He’d been too drunk to think of that through. Alcohol was truly dangerous. He’d keep it in mind.

“You sure you don’t wanna sleep here?” Naruto asked, worry showing in his eyes. “I don't want you walking home like this so at least stay for an hour.” 

“I wouldn’t want to burden you.” The idea of sleeping here did seem attractive though. Sasuke was sure he could have slept on the front steps in his state, though.

“It’s not like we never shared a bed,” Naruto teased, grinning. Sasuke scowled at him, and put his hand on the door latch, steeling himself for the chaos of his less than stellar motor skills. This was stupid, he’d leave after all. Naruto grabbed his arm, the tingly one, and grinned. “I’m just razzing you. I have a convertible couch thing in my room.”

“Fine.”


	8. Day 8

“Heard you boys went drinking last night,” Kushina conversed cheerily as she bustled around the kitchen. She looked at Sasuke and grimaced, though it didn’t erase her smile. “You didn’t try to keep up with him, did you?”

“Hn,” Sasuke replied, feeling dry and terrible inside his skull. He was perched on one of the counter seats where Naruto had left him when he’d offered to help his mother clean up after the family's breakfast. So far, he hadn’t been able to move from there.

“Oh, you poor thing,” she commiserated, stroking his head once. Her motherly touch was mildly soothing, but the coffee and water she placed in front of him were what really made him love her. “Naruto! You have to take better care of your friends! That Inuzuka boy nearly died!”

“It’s not like I tell them to,” Naruto whined, as she tried to bat him with her dish scrubbing wand. “And he wasn’t gonna die.”

“Please stop yelling,” Sasuke breathed. Their raised voices were painfully resonating with the metal bits that were the leftovers of his brain.

“Ah, sorry,” Naruto whispered. “Can I see what I did last night?” He was very careful to keep his voice soft and be gentle with Sasuke’s arm when the Uchiha stretched it out. “That’s pretty nice. I’ll help you take it off now.”

“I’ll shower at home,“ Sasuke allowed, shaking his head. It would come off fast with hot water and soap. He pulled his sleeves down, and the marks were mostly covered. No need for Naruto to wipe at, and probably just smudge it.

“Let me walk you there. You still look pretty rough.” Something possessed Sasuke to nod, and he ended up leading Naruto all the way to his apartment. He was hopeful that the time they’d spent together in somewhat harmony would prevent Naruto from wanting to take revenge by ruining the dignity of his apartment building. He unlatched the door and stepped inside. Naruto followed him, which he hadn't expected. While Sasuke was figuring out how to tell Naruto to leave, Tama came to greet him at the door like always, rubbing her head against his legs. 

“Oh my god, you’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my fucking life,” Naruto whispered excitedly. He knelt down and stretched his hand out, making soft “pis pis pis,” noises at her. Tama seemed to consider all this, and not find it excessively offensive. She approached.

“Who said you could come inside?” Sasuke snapped, watching Naruto get permission via feline nose-press to start petting Tama. In seconds she was climbing all over his lap. The door to his apartment was still painfully open, with Naruto sitting in the doorway. It made Sasuke uncomfortable. “Can you stop disrupting my day and-”

“If you make me leave right now I’m taking your cat,” Naruto teased, scratching above her tail and making her purr audibly. The way she was looking at Naruto she really might let him walk away with her.

“Tama stays here,” Sasuke snapped. He sighed heavily and reached over Naruto’s shoulder to close and lock the door. “I’m showering.” he turned on his heel and left Naruto there, shedding his shoes before entering the apartment properly.

“Is that your name?” Sasuke heard Naruto talking to the cat. “Tama?” He showered, watching the black ink flow down the drain as he rubbed soap onto his arm. His vision did something strange and for a moment the running ink seemed red instead of black. Sasuke brushed it off, but the disquiet stuck with him. He left the bathroom and got dressed in something comfortable for his day off.

When he returned, Tama and Naruto had curled up on the couch and fallen asleep.

Sasuke let it go on for an hour, or maybe even two. But it had become afternoon, and Sasuke had places to go. “Wake up,” Sasuke hissed, lifting Tama into his arms and kicking Naruto’s dangling shin. “Get out.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto complained, yawning. He stretched and went to the door. When he was halfway out he paused and threw Sasuke a warm smile. “Good seeing you.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke replied, looking away. Tama purred in his arms. “Traitor,” he told her, rubbing his cheek on her head. He wouldn’t dwell on that weird episode he’d had with Naruto. It was good to be back home, and for the moment he had more important appointments to keep. 

///

“Hey, Sakura,” Sasuke greeted, sitting down in the armchair across from hers.

“Sasuke! How are you?” she greeted back, just as bubbly as she’d been every session he’d seen her. They’d been classmates once, but he hadn’t known her well until she’d shown up and proclaimed herself to be his new therapy partner. It was weird having her since they were the same age, but similar age pairs had higher success rates in staving off the curse of hatred. That necessitated younger professionals for people like Sasuke, who had manifested his Sharingan as a child. 

“I’m fine. How’s your therapy internship going?”

“I really like it here. But I think I’m going to have to be a field exploration healer after all.” She tilted her head side to side, thinking about it. “I’m young, I want to do something exciting. But enough about me. Let’s do your review,” she took out a little notepad and uncapped her pen. “Tell me how you feel. Anything new going on?”

“You know about the usual stuff already,” Sasuke sighed, his mood dropping as he was asked to… self-reflect.

“That little dark spot when Itachi moved out was rough,” Sakura confirmed, biting her lip. She called it a little dark spot because she was being kind.

“That’s generous,” he vocalized smiling ruefully. “I uhm-” he took a deep breath. “Well,” he tried again. “Moving out to my own place makes it feel less like I’ve been left behind.” 

“That’s good,” Sakura agreed, smiling.

“I’m actually relieved Itachi and Shisui are together because,” Sasuke could feel his body curling up in degrees, becoming smaller. He hated admitting this. As a younger brother, his parents told him daily that watching out for Itachi, that being his light was Sasuke’s responsibility. He couldn’t tell his parents, but it felt okay to share it with Sakura. “I don’t feel like there’s enough light in me to guide both mine and Itachi’s way.”

“Then it’s good that that weight, in a way, has been taken off you,” Sakura told him. “Shisui doesn’t seem to have that same worry to you, does he?”

“He doesn’t.” Shisui had enough flame in him for a few people at least. “But I’m ashamed to be relieved.” And he was jealous. He’d once been that important to Itachi, but it hadn’t lasted.

“There’s no shame in it. You know these things are hereditary.” Sakura was so reasonable and she knew a great deal about mental and physical health. It was easy to listen to her and nod, even when he didn’t know what to say. “That’s why therapy is mandatory for all Uchiha. We can’t just let you all go blind from untreated depression.” Sasuke nodded again. Sakura leaned down until her green eyes were back in line with his. He sat up, feeling silly for making her stoop like that. “Maybe now that Itachi’s delicate condition is somewhat taken care of, you can find your own light.”

“I met someone,” Sasuke half-blurted. “This guy I… arrested.”

Sakura grinned, bouncing and looking way too young to be holding that official grey clipboard in her lap. She was right about needing to get out of here. She’d revealed once that her parents had encouraged her posting in the village since they were civilians. She wanted to do riskier scouting work and was training and working up the guts to tell them. “Do you like him?” She asked, scribbling on her clipboard.

Not for the first time he wondered what she was writing. Brother complex. Schoolboy crush on a delinquent. Questionable taste in men. Relation? He snickered, and Sakura looked at him curiously, waving her hand so he would go on.

“I think I hate him. But he’s so… bright,” Sasuke told her. He remembered Naruto. “And deep inside... I want it.” He sort of resented people with light. They had so much of what he lacked. But he supposed seeing them around was better than not seeing them. Even though Naruto annoyed him to no end, the day after they’d had dinner, he’d felt lighter.

“You want him deep inside, huh?” Sakura asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Shut up, please,” he hissed.

“It’s too easy,” she teased, having the nerve to look half-apologetic while she did it. “So I can mark you as a steady flame, for now, right?”

“Yeah.” He was fine. He was definitely not in any danger of sudden collapse. He paused for a moment. “Can you tell me how Itachi is?” he finally asked.

“You know I can’t,” Sakura apologized. “Even if I knew.”

Sasuke nodded. He’d expected that answer. It was tedious though. “But if you found out something was wrong you’d do something for him, right?”

“I would do everything I could,” she told him very seriously. “Just like for you, Sasuke.”

///

Sasuke was walking home when Naruto ran up to him, linking their arms together. “I got community service because of you,” he accused, scrunching his nose up at Sasuke. 

“Good,” Sasuke replied, pushing Naruto off him. He was getting way too touchy.

“They’re having me paint murals all over town.” Sasuke blinked as Naruto gestured at a big wall. He could see the outline of a woman's face. She was familiar but he couldn’t name her. “Get ready to see a lot more of my work.”

“Ugh,” Sasuke complained. “It’s too colorful.” It was a well-composed drawing in outline form, but he insisted on doing it all in dayglo colors. Sasuke could only imagine how it would look filled in with paint.

“Too colorful?” Naruto asked, pausing. “Who said that?”

“Everyone thinks so.

“All the Uchihas you mean.” Sasuke shrugged. That was true enough. Naruto shook his head, chuckling. “I’ll do some black and whites in your neck of the woods.” He met Sasuke’s eyes. “Go out with me again.”

“Why?” 

“You didn’t like our first date?” Naruto asked, his brow creasing with hurt.

“That wasn't-“ Sasuke began. His eyes widened. The outing had not ended as Sasuke planned: with Naruto in a cell. Instead, it had ended with Sasuke sleeping over, and getting walked home after breakfast the next morning. “... it was a date.”

“It was totally a date,” Naruto confirmed, grinning widely.

“I don’t want to waste my time on you if you’ll just be-“ Sasuke waved his hand, signifying what he’d seen Naruto go off to do with Ino Yamanaka.

“I won’t do that anymore,” Naruto promised instantly, catching Sasuke’s hand and enclosing it in both of his own. “Now that I know you care.”

“I still can’t guarantee that I’ll return your feelings.”

“That's fine,” Naruto told him. Sasuke sighed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but there was more than that to consider, right? “C'mon,“ Naruto begged, his deep blue eyes sinking Sasuke under. “Trust me.”

Sasuke felt himself cracking. They would keep running into each other and getting closer, and now that Naruto’s “art” wasn’t a crime anymore there was no conflict, legally speaking. “Where?” There was no point in delaying it anymore.

Naruto brightened and opened his mouth exclusively to put his foot in it. “Ichiraku-”

“Nevermind,” Sasuke groaned, twisting his arm free.

“Please!” Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke’s waist and let his knees hit the ground. He was being way too demonstrative for an evening sidewalk. “I’ll beg if I have to.”

He yanked Naruto back onto his feet and pushed him a step back. “Stop that. I’ll come,” Sasuke sighed.

Naruto linked their pinkies and suddenly everything aligned. There had been some sort of nearly imperceptible crookedness in the world before, but it straightened itself as their contact solidified. They walked the short distance to Ichiraku. Naruto introduced him to the ramen chef as if they were family, which was weird.

“Make sure you make it extra special for my date, right?” Naruto was chatting as he unlinked pinkies with Sasuke and patted a place for him to sit. Sasuke hopped onto the seat and scanned the menu.

“Depends, are you giving me an extra special tip?” the younger female chef asked, waving her soup ladle at him.

“Ayame! Really?” Naruto wailed, pretending to be deeply wounded. “Just give me the usual. I don’t know what to think.”

She looked at Sasuke after so he ordered. “Miso.” Naruto chatted with him about everything and didn’t really expect much in return, which was nice. As long as Sasuke listened to him, he didn’t demand lengthy answers or bother Sasuke about being quiet. He just filled the space in his own way.

“Let me try some of yours?” Sasuke gestured with his chopsticks. He wanted to taste a piece of the pork belly from Naruto’s bowl. Naruto nodded, pushing the dish towards Sasuke. Their hands brushed accidentally, and Naruto made it into something intentional, a brief caress. Sasuke took a piece of the meat and thought there might be something to Naruto’s usual order. The soup and the components meshed well. 

There might be something to spending time with Naruto. Sasuke switched his sticks to his left hand. It was dextrous enough to do something as simple as eating. He linked his pinky with Naruto’s again. He pulled a little, and Naruto looked at him curiously, leaning slightly closer-

“Hey, Naruto!” Sasuke jerked, suddenly forced to remember all the other people who liked to cross town at dinner time. It was Kiba Inuzuka. He’d also been part of their year at the academy. Sasuke remembered his name and that he had a dog, but little else. 

“Hi!” Naruto greeted back, waving.

Kiba turned to Sasuke and he internally stiffened. He hoped this interaction would be quick. “Sasuke, I haven’t seen you since the academy days! How have you been?”

“Fine,” he replied neutrally.

“You should come out drinking with us,” Kiba invited boisterously, grabbing Naruto in a friendly hug. Naruto ‘uhmed’ softly, somehow already knowing better than to assume Sasuke would want to go with them. “Princess can’t hang?” Kiba asked, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke in a challenge.

“We don't have to go,” Naruto comforted, reversing the hold and wrestling Kiba. He grinned. “I’ll tell Kiba to fuck off right now.” Kiba made a noise of indignance as he struggled in Naruto’s grasp. Sasuke found them a bit loud, but also a bit exciting. 

If he was stepping outside of what he knew already… “Let's go,” Sasuke decided.


	9. Day 9

“Is that the sun?” Sasuke asked, squinting at the small golden curve edging its way out from behind the Hokage mountain. It’s visible edge wavered. It seemed impressed into the sky, a wobbling semi-circle of brightness. 

“Time to head home?” Naruto asked, squeezing his pinky tighter around Sasuke’s. Sasuke’s shoulder bumped Naruto’s as they walked. Knowing his limits better this time, Sasuke had managed to get tipsy but not sauced. He felt good, even if he had to be a little more careful with his feet.

“Yeah,” he agreed. Maybe it was the alcohol that made him offer. “Come sleep on the couch. Your place is far away.”

“Really?” Naruto asked. His smile was infectious. Sasuke nodded at him, figuring he might as well commit to what was probably some kind of subconscious slip. “Thanks!” Sasuke led Naruto through the streets and up to his apartment. Once he had taken his shoes off, he went to the kitchen and got two glasses of water. One he drank, the other he passed to this companion. Naruto had found his way to the couch and was sitting there with his legs stretched out in front of him.

“You know I’m fine right?” Naruto asked, but drank it anyway. “You didn’t have to offer for me to stay over or even give me water.”

“I wanted you here,” Sasuke drawled. 

“Because you wanted to kiss me but didn’t want anyone else to see?” Naruto teased.

Sasuke blushed because it was right on the nose. Not necessarily kissing but he did want to be a little more affectionate with Naruto, and PDA simply wasn’t Sasuke’s style. “You-” he began. He’d wanted his voice to be snappish but it was soft instead. He hesitated.

“Come here,” Naruto allowed, freeing Sasuke from his self imposed freeze. Sasuke sat on the couch beside Naruto and felt the other’s arm come around him. He was pulled close to Naruto’s warm, solid chest. “No one will see if you put your arms around me,” he laughed, putting a hand on the side of Sasuke’s face. He stroked Sasuke’s cheek with his thumb and the Uchiha stayed still, afraid it would stop if he moved away. “Do you like that?” Naruto asked curiously, pausing.

“Should I purr, like Tama?” Sasuke asked, closing his eyes as Naruto laughed and the touch resumed, moving into the hair at his nape, twirling the strands there. 

“That wouldn’t be unhelpful,” Naruto grinned, touching Sasuke's hip, and then slowly tightening his grasp. Sasuke didn’t mind that Naruto seemed careful. He should be careful, Sasuke didn’t know why Naruto should view him as dangerous, but it sat well. “Your face doesn’t give anything away,” Naruto added.

Sasuke smirked. “Good. Why should it?”

“You never change.” To that, Sasuke shrugged. The hand on his nape pulled him forwards a little. “I’ll kiss you,” Naruto told him softly, and then hesitated, biting his lip and watching Sasuke with hopeful eyes.

“Do it,” Sasuke urged. Naruto’s mouth pressed against his own. The kiss was full of eagerness, and warmth. He felt the momentary flick of those blonde lashes on his face. Sasuke pressed closer, warmth rushing from the places Naruto’s hands or lips were touching him. He ended up in the blond’s lap, kissing him back with enthusiasm. He pulled back and Naruto stared up at him with wonder, his breath coming out in soft pants. This close, Sasuke could see the dusting of freckles across the bridge of Naruto’s nose. “Take this off,” he requested, pulling at the painfully orange jacket.

Naruto leaned forwards and shucked it off, leaving him in a thin white t-shirt. Sasuke touched Naruto’s strong shoulders, feeling the muscles shift under his palms. “I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone yet.”

“Tell them what?”

Sasuke tipped Naruto’s face up by his chin and watched him flush attractively. “That I like you.” Sasuke liked watching all the emotion’s lighting up Naruto’s face. Sasuke knew exactly what he was thinking. He was so glad to be here, with Sasuke. So glad to fill the apartment with light. Around Naruto, Sasuke didn’t feel so much like a void. He felt more like... a moon with the potential to reflect. He shook his head so the sappiness would stop.

“I really like you too,” Naruto admitted easily. “Come back down here.” Sasuke leaned down and kissed him. Naruto made soft, endearing sounds of pleasure against Sasuke’s mouth. Naruto’s arms were around him, gently hugging him close with a restrained fervor that didn’t quite match their two dates. Even Sasuke, who’d never really been in a relationship, could sense the misplacement of Naruto’s only partially hidden intensity. At the same time, it felt really nice and weirdly deserved. He didn’t know he’d been waiting, but he’d been waiting for this, and precisely this.

Sasuke felt another thing other than pleasure, though. He felt exhaustion. He pulled back and yawned, rubbing his eyes. As nice as this was, he needed sleep. “If you let me come to your bed we can nap together?” Naruto asked softly, still stroking Sasuke’s cheek. The Uchiha nodded and led Naruto to his room. He shed his pants, leaving on his boxers, and crawled into bed. Naruto did the same, and Sasuke surrendered one pillow for him to lay on.

They slept back to back, and their rest lasted well into the afternoon. When Sasuke awoke, Naruto was already up. He was lying on his back and looking out the window with a contented expression, watching the branches of a tall tree wave in the breeze. Sasuke rolled onto his side and put his arm over Naruto’s chest. He’d never made such a move on a person before, but he wanted to. Naruto smiled at him and Sasuke relaxed. He closed his eyes to receive the kiss Naruto gave him.

“Just us two, today,” Sasuke told him. He didn’t want anyone to intrude on this sphere of quiet.

“You’re getting possessive already?” Naruto asked. Tama jumped onto the bed and stepped over Naruto to settle between them. She purred loudly when Naruto started petting her.

“Hn,” Sasuke replied, reaching out to scratch under Tama’s chin. There was a white oval on her all-black coat there, and she couldn’t reach it herself so she was always showing it off. That was why he had named her Tama. Even to a thirteen-year-old Sasuke, egg-kitty hadn’t seemed dignified enough.

“Give me a few more kisses and I’ll think about it,” Naruto teased.

Sasuke picked up Tama, and set her behind him, then closed the space between him and Naruto. He dropped a brief peck on Naruto’s lips. “Like that?” He asked, feigning obliviousness. 

Naruto shook his head, his brows creasing with disappointment. “No,” he chastised softly. “Like this.” And then he kissed Sasuke softly and slowly, lingering against his mouth. The way his fingers curled on Sasuke’s jaw was gentle and reverent. It filled Sasuke with something bubbly.

Sasuke bit his lip, resisting laughter. He kissed Naruto again, a bit more deeply, tasting the seam of Naruto’s mouth, and briefly letting their tongues meet. Ah- that was beginning to have heat to it. “Like this?” he asked, watching Naruto flush, and deliberately breathe out his desperation.

Naruto had to swallow before recovering. “Closer, much closer,” he managed to tease. “But listen, it’s like this.” Sasuke shuddered when Naruto’s lips met his again, and a hand twisted up lightly in his hair, tugging him close as Naruto’s tongue eagerly explored Sasuke’s mouth. It would be a lie to say they both weren’t affected. Naruto grinned. “I know you’re new at this but-”

Sasuke interrupted Naruto with a searing kiss, rolling his body on top and fisting both of his hands in Naruto’s shirt. He nipped the blond’s lip and heard him whine with pleasure, his body arching slightly under Sasuke’s. “Idiot,” the Uchiha told him, watching with satisfaction as Naruto stared at him in glazed wonder. “What were you going to say?”

“I think you got it in that one,“ Naruto replied, shaking with laughter. “All right, I’m all yours today.” Sasuke smirked. He didn’t mind it being so easy.


	10. Day 10

Sasuke woke up and that time he’d managed to beat Naruto to wakefulness. It was early morning, just a bit before dawn, and Sasuke had work. His internal clock had faithfully woken him up at the right time to get ready. Sitting up and stretching, Sasuke considered their Sunday activities.

They’d basically only kissed and cuddled up the whole time. Sasuke had felt like he was stocking up a store of affection. Before Naruto, he hadn’t even known it was empty, or even- there? Naruto had never grown tired of kissing him, instead, he’d only gradually begun to lose control of his repressed fervor, and pour it all into the touch of his mouth against Sasuke’s.

It had been… intense. No one had ever looked at Sasuke so intently before or spent so much time focusing their attention on him the way Naruto did. He’d only been able to take so much of that before asking for it to stop. Naruto had seemed disappointed but nodded. He’d then begun to apply softer, more leashed kisses to the back of Sasuke’s hand. Sasuke had felt each of these softening him.

It didn’t take long before he was letting Naruto have his mouth again. He closed his eyes and gave himself over to it, feeling himself quiver as he was overwhelmed, and slowly became accustomed to Naruto’s intensity. Sasuke wondered where it came from, and why it felt so right when Naruto touched the ends of his hair in a gesture that seemed to be just for him.

Naruto rolled over in his sleep and mumbled something. His restless activity made the blanket slide off him, and he shivered, his brows creasing as he became cold. Sasuke covered him and then got up to get ready for work.

It was little more than a day of regular patrolling. Of course, Sasuke kept his eyes peeled for any suspicious activity, but the most exciting thing that happened was a young mother dropping one of her grocery bags and being unable to pick it up because her crying child refused to be set down. Sasuke had helped her carry her things up into her house, and gotten a fresh tangerine for his troubles.

He walked home eating it. When he arrived home, Naruto was gone, but there was a fine sketch of Tama sitting on the window sill stuck to the fridge with a magnet. Sasuke let himself smile.


	11. Day 11

“What the fuck?” Sasuke breathed, looking up at the side of Madara’s house. Broad slashes of still-wet paint invoked the form of the late first Hokage. “What the fuck,” he repeated.

“Black and white, right?” Naruto asked, twisting around and grinning at him. He set the wide calligraphy brush he’d been using to write characters on the drawing down. He set his hands on his hips and admired it for a second. Only then did he seem to take Sasuke in. He did a double-take. “What’s that face?”

“This is Madara’s house,” Sasuke told him. He looked around. Could he make this go away? No, there were too many things everywhere. He couldn’t pick it all up and clean the house. it was too late.

“I know,” Naruto replied, nodding seriously. “I couldn’t get him to commission one so I just winged it.”

“You’re going to die,” Sasuke informed him plainly. “I might’ve loved you, idiot.”

“I love you too,” Naruto told him, looking suddenly stricken, but saying it back all the same.

“I just said-” Sasuke began, because surely he hadn’t meant it like that, and if he did it was much too soon and expectations needed to be managed. Sasuke only had so much to offer, really.

“What’s going on back here?” Upon hearing that voice, Sasuke snapped to attention. “I hope you stupid children aren’t making out in my yard.”

Sasuke bowed immediately, yanking Naruto down with him. The other wouldn’t have reacted, he was just staring at Sasuke, still looking vaguely stricken. “No sir,” replied, knowing even the highest respect couldn't save them now. If he thought it would help he would have flattened himself against the floor. His grip on Naruto tightened. If they had to run- if they had to leave town forever-

“This is,” Madara gasped, seeing the facade of his home for the first time. “Amazing.”

Sasuke’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you serious?”

“I love it,” Madara replied smoothly, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke minutely. He was being told to shut up. He turned to Naruto and waved his hand. “What inspired this?” He was smiling but the air around him was so… sharp. Sasuke felt his body attempt a jerk, wanting to change his stance, but even if things went south it wasn’t like he’d have to defend Naruto’s life. What was he having this reaction?

“I dunno just that look you have in your eye sometimes,” Naruto replied, grinning easily. Was he bluffing, or did he not sense the hair raising aura emanating from Madara?

“You remind me of Senju, you know?”

“Uh, thanks.” Naruto absently took Sasuke’s hand, linking their pinkies and squeezing in a way that was imperceptible to the eye, but easy enough for Sasuke to feel. On the outside, it just looked like a needy gesture, but Sasuke knew better. Naruto probably felt the same way. He was just bluffing his ease. That filled Sasuke with at least a bit of relief. Naruto wouldn’t resist if it for some reason became time to run.

“Would you be interested in coming inside for a drink?” Madara asked. Another squeeze. Naruto knew. If it wasn’t just Sasuke being paranoid, they should leave as soon as possible. He felt his lips form around the word Chidori again. It was meaningless to him. It was just a nonsense word- but why was it occurring to him?

“We have to go,” Sasuke blurted desperately. He couldn’t come up with a reason or why he felt so… terrified.

“Little Sasuke-“ Madara began, his eyes flaring. Sasuke’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest.

“Sorry I’m with Sasuke,” Naruto told Madara. “You know like-“ he gestured with their joined pinkies. “with Sasuke. So I can’t get drinks with you.”

“He’s a child,” Madara purred, not even looking at Sasuke. Something else mixed with the nervousness of Sasuke felt. It was rage. It didn’t feel like his usual emptiness or even frustration. This was something that demanded action. His free hand clenched on nothing, and then again across his lips the word Chidori the sound of chirping static in his mind. “I’m sure it doesn’t matter.”

“We’re the same age,” Naruto replied, still managing to keep calm. How was he doing that? Sasuke was only affecting calm because he refused to speak. “Point is, I’ve gotten really attached already.” Finally, Naruto took a step back. “We’re... going now.” They backed up, and Madara watched them menacingly but didn’t seem inclined to follow them.

As soon as they were out of eyeshot they started running. It felt important to run. Naruto and Sasuke collapsed side by side in a small alleyway between the buildings and panted heavily, trying to catch their breath. “That was so weird,” Sasuke complained.

“So weird,” Naruto agreed. “Seriously how is he still alive.”

Sasuke shrugged. “No one knows. Not even around here.” Naruto gave him a look that was trying to be fun but faltered in certain places. It made sense. Sasuke was shaken too.

///


	12. Day 12

“Could you all just please take this seriously,” Sasuke snapped. Everyone in the meeting room was having way too much fun. They were laughing and chatting and playing paper football, and generally not sitting still and paying attention to the debrief meeting on an actual killer. The crime of killing was so heinous that not even self-defense was considered a decent reason to kill. This person had killed several innocents and nobody seemed to be processing the weight of that. They talked over Obito, who was doing his best to disseminate the information to them all.

“All right, Junior officer buzzkill,” someone snapped, turning around and facing the front.

“Fuck you,” Sasuke snapped right back.

“Shut up. All of you.” Sasuke stiffened. Whenever Madara raised his voice, Sasuke felt a threat of something cruel creeping up his spine. Sasuke couldn’t avoid him, being his employee, but he’d wished that maybe Madara would take the day off and Sasuke wouldn’t have to see him so soon. Sasuke didn't know why he’d been upgraded to this case after the strangely intense encounter that had happened, but he would just be grateful that he wasn't on crosswalks for the rest of his life, and not ask any questions.

“Sir. As I was trying to explain-“ Obito tried again, rubbing his temples.

“It’s not that complex. Catch this person and kill him,” Madara finished easily, looking Sasuke right in the eyes as he said so. Sasuke felt claws in him. He didn’t allow himself to go stiff. Naruto’s face flashed across his mind. Under the table his hands became fists.

“Don’t kill him,” Obito corrected loudly. “You’re not allowed to kill people anymore, Madara.” He fidgeted at his desk. “It’s a terrible crime these days, and the KPD especially shouldn’t be seen breaking it.” His eyes darted around, like he was trying to look at all the officers and make sure everyone heard it. Sasuke disliked the shifty way he looked around.

Madara blinked, smiling a cold tiger’s smile, diverting his gaze from Sasuke directly to Obito. His eyes skated over the other officers like they weren’t there. So Sasuke was in trouble afterall, in fact, he was deep in the shit. “Oh. Who decided that?”

“The First Hokage. And you. You were both part of the decision,” Obito explained calmly, but with the air of someone who was doing this for maybe the thousandth time.

“Was I drunk?” Madara asked, jokingly. Sasuke looked around, and nobody seemed to be taking offense to their discussion, or even, paying attention. Was all of the police force so cavalier about murder? Sasuke mentally eschewed that idea. It couldn’t be, because Itachi couldn’t participate in such a thing… but then why wasn’t anyone else reacting to these statements?

“No sir,” Obito sighed

“Then, bring him back alive unless you can make it self defense. Then you should certainly kill him.” Again his eyes met Sasuke’s. “Come to my office if you need pointers on that.” It was a request but it felt like an order. Sasuke decided that he wouldn’t go, and feign ignorance later if he had to.

“This is why you aren’t allowed in the field during peacetime anymore sir,” Obito complained. 

“I resent that,” Madara countered pleasantly. He cast a look across the room. “Enjoy the rest of your boring meeting.” He turned with a flourish, his long black hair swishing as he passed through the door.

“He didn’t say that. You didn’t hear that. Please follow the official protocol.” Everyone mumbled their assent, as if they’d had this interaction multiple times before. Obito looked at the binder on his table, seeming to be trying to decide if any of this was worth it.

“Hey Obito,” called the officer that Sasuke had silenced earlier. “What’s the official protocol for taking the stick out of Sasuke’s ass.”

“I don’t know,” Obito groaned, exhausted. “But it sounds like a hobby, so figure it out on your own time..” He took one last look at his binder, and then seemed to give up on getting any more focus out of the police force. He closed it, and got up, following Madara back to his office.

“See you at break-time, loser.” Sasuke jerked forward as someone’s debriefing packet smacked him in the back of the head.

“You’re all going to let him talk to me like that?” Sasuke demanded, gesturing at this… this utter and total asshole!

“Sorry, little brother. It’s just a bit of hazing,” Itachi told him with a smile. He poked Sasuke’s forehead with his fingers. “It wouldn’t get any better if your big brother tried to help you.”

He was furious and… terribly confused.

///

Sasuke went to the Namikaze household to check on his… to check on Naruto. Maybe he would want to hang out. When he got there, Kushina informed him while crushing his ribs that Naruto had gone out back and that Sasuke would probably find him in his painting shed. 

Sasuke entered and was confused. Painted directly to the inner wall of the shed was a huge map of Konoha. Or a town that was similar to it. “What is this?” Sasuke asked, putting a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. Naruto jumped, and before he could hide it there was a flash of guilt on his face.

“I’m a visual thinker,” he replied. That didn’t explain anything.

“Okay yes, but why the map at all?”

Sasuke could see Naruto hesitating. “When I’m painting I can see things,” Naruto admitted, his eyes still squeezed closed. He touched his chest, and his fingers curled inward, smearing green paint on his black t-shirt. “Things that feel really real to me.”

“You’re saying you’ve seen a map of Konoha that looks like this.” he walked closer to it. Things were off about it, but it was still close enough to the Konoha Sasuke knew. The landmarks all seemed basically right but: “But this isn’t there.” he gestured to a black monument Naruto had painted in the park. There were only trees and benches in that spot. “And you’ve wedged a whole extra street here?” He paused. “And a wall around my district.” It pulled at his mind.

“More people have started going missing,” Naruto whispered, crouching down and putting his head against his wrists. In his hands, he still held a paintbrush. “Why can’t I remember-” 

“I haven't heard anything about this,” Sasuke told Naruto. Because he was a police officer. If more people went missing, he’d hear about it. What was going on?

“And the town's been changing,” Naruto murmured. It was almost like he was in a daze, but Sasuke couldn’t understand what Naruto was fighting. His eyes cleared and he told Sasuke: “I went to check on some people I did murals for. They’re gone.”

“They just painted over your garish art,“ Sasuke brushed off. Because Naruto couldn’t be right. After all, if he was right, that meant… What did that mean?

“That’s not it,” Naruto argued. “I tried to talk to people about it but they didn’t seem to remember the people who are gone, and it’s even slipping away from me.” He gestured at the wall, looking fevered and concerned and worried and guilty. He grabbed his chest like that when he was afraid or couldn’t deal with his emotions. “That’s why I made this.” 

He curled smaller, breathing deeply to try and steady himself. Sometimes Naruto stood at the edge of panic attacks, and rarely (but not rarely enough) he tipped over into one. Sasuke knew that with sudden stunning clarity. Again, he had to remind himself that they’d only been on a few dates. There was no way he knew that for any reason other than projecting, for wanting Naruto to be less bright as an explanation for why Naruto would tolerate someone as shadowed as Sasuke. 

But he was getting off-topic. “Show me,” he demanded.

Naruto shook his head slowly. “How would I? there’s nothing there anymore. Even the houses are gone.”

“That’s not possible,” Sasuke told him. He knelt and put his arms around Naruto, awkward in his motions because he was unused to providing comfort to others. He kissed Naruto’s cheek and took his hand. “Let's go back inside, let me make you some tea.” Naruto nodded, and let himself be led back into the house.


	13. Day 13

Sasuke woke up from an afternoon nap, and Naruto wasn’t beside him anymore. He could still feel Naruto’s gentle kisses if he touched his lips, and he allowed himself the gesture precisely because he was alone and still drowsy. When it didn’t seem like Naruto was coming back right away, he got up, fixed the sheets in Naruto’s bed, and cracked the door into the hallway.

“Thanks for coming,” Naruto greeted genuinely. Who was he greeting? “Thanks for coming,” he said again. Confused, Sasuke poked out of Naruto’s room and saw- his whole family gathered in the doorway. Naruto was taking his mom’s coat and hanging it up by the door. Shisui and Itachi were talking in hushed voices as they took their shoes off.

His mother saw him and waved happily. “What a polite boy you’ve chosen,” she gushed, squeezing Naruto’s cheeks. Naruto grinned and bore it, even though it looked pretty painful. “Sweet little Naruto grew up,” she complimented, gesturing at his height.

“Aunty Mikoto, you’re making me blush,” Naruto laughed. He guided her towards one of the set places at the table. “Sit over here, all of you. My parents will be over there.” He gestured to one side, and Sasuke’s family efficiently arranged themselves on the seats.

Kushina came out of the kitchen and threw herself into Mikoto’s arms. She was wearing an apron and had smudges of sauce on her clothing and face. She’d been cooking, and judging by the way she gratefully plopped into the chair Naruto pulled up for her, she’d been cooking for a while.

“When were you going to tell me,” Sasuke hissed when Naruto finally came to the hallway to explain himself. He rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come,” Naruto admitted. “That’s why I stashed you in my room while mom and I got everything ready.” He smiled endearingly and pressed a kiss to Sasuke’s mouth that nearly melted him. “Forgive me.”

“As long as it doesn't happen again,” Sasuke snipped, making sure to keep his arms folded. “Next time you tell me,” he clarified.

“Yeah,” Naruto agreed, something strange coloring his voice. “Sorry for chickening out.” They kissed again, Naruto’s hand touching Sasuke's side gently.

There was a yellow blur in the door stripping off his coat and shoes. With a new person in eyeshot, Sasuke pulled away.

“Am I too late?” The person asked. It was Minato, out of breath and red in the face from rushing. “Is there still food?”

“Dad, you made it!” Naruto cheered. “You know I told you an earlier time so you’d make it, right?”

“Well I do now,” Minato huffed. Sasuke was looking at Naruto’s back, but he saw the way the Hokage’s face changed when he finished taking off his shoes and looked up, rapidly becoming worried. “What’s wrong?” That was when Sasuke noticed the trembling in Naruto’s shoulders. He reached forward and placed a hand on the back of Naruto’s arm. Naruto held his hand and turned to give Sasuke a jarringly teary smile.

“Nothing. I’m happy,” he choked, rubbing his eyes on his sleeve. “It’s just gonna be so hard.” Kushina crossed the room, setting her spatula gently down on the kitchen table. She touched Naruto’s cheeks with her palms and kissed his forehead. That only seemed to make him cry more. Minato placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder, offering quiet support.

“What is it?” Kushina asked, wiping under his eyes. “You can tell us.”

“I think- I think I have to move out,” Naruto admitted. He wiped his eyes again and seemed to have it under control then. His eyes and nose were pink, and his mouth quivered, but then he took a deep breath. “I know I have to,” he told them, his voice pretty even considering.

“Not if you don’t want to, baby,” Kushina corrected him lovingly, ruffling his hair.

Naruto grinned, shaking his head. “Thanks, mom. But I have to grow up, right?”

“I’m sure you’ll live well,” Minato supported, letting his hand fall from Naruto’s shoulder.

“I’ll help you find a new place,” Sasuke promised. “I already know how to get an apartment,” he told Naruto smugly. And he’d done it on his own. 

Naruto gasped, feigning hurt. “You’re not going to let me move in with you?” He slapped his hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture.

“Why would you assume that?” Sasuke teased. Another exaggerated gasp. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help smirking. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll let you move into the neighborhood.”

Everyone started laughing at that. Naruto led Sasuke over to their spots and sat down. They held hands until the food came out, and Naruto stroked his thumb gently over Sasuke’s knuckles.

///

Sasuke awoke when the side of Naruto’s bed dipped. He grabbed the side of Naruto’s sweatpants and asked: “Where are you going?” Immediately he felt clingy. But something was telling him that Naruto wasn’t just making a quick trip to the bathroom. He willed his blurry vision to clear and… Naruto had his backpack on. It rattled with the sound of spray-cans when he adjusted it on his shoulders. Sasuke moved to sit up, but Naruto shushed him, pushing him back down into the bed.

“About that-” Naruto whispered. He touched Sasuke’s cheek tenderly. “Can you please just not be a cop tonight, and go back to sleep?” Sasuke glared at him. “Please,” Naruto repeated, kissing him. Did regular couples kiss this much? Sasuke didn’t mind it, but it was seriously affecting his ability to think sometimes. For example, at that moment he was considering letting go of a delinquent about to do more delinquent things.

“Whatever.” Sasuke let go of Naruto’s sweatpants. “Just... be careful out there.” It seemed important to say. It was the middle of the night, and weird things were happening in town.

“Careful is my middle name,” Naruto promised, kissing him again. His lips lingered against Sasuke’s, and his expression became almost pained. He was hesitating to pull away. Sasuke nipped Naruto’s mouth gently and kissed him back, leaning up in the bed to solidify the contact.

“Hey-” Sasuke told him when the finally parted.

“Yeah?” Naruto rested his forehead against Sasuke’s, he seemed to be absorbing as much closeness as possible. This solidified Sasuke’s notion that Naruto was about to do something monumentally stupid.

Sasuke stretched, his back popping as he tried to settle back into sleep. “I’m gonna bust you in the morning.” Sasuke pinched Naruto’s cheek. “So make sure you come back and get some sleep.” The end of his sentence devolved into a yawn.

“I’ll do my best,” Naruto replied, but his voice wavered. 

“Is everything all right?” Sasuke asked sharply.

Naruto shook his head. “I’ll see you later.”


	14. Day 14

That morning, Sasuke had woken up in his apartment. Naruto was a prankster, but he knew better than to do something like this, and Sasuke was a light sleeper. It would never happen that he was moved across town without noticing it. Tama was curled against his back, purring. He got dressed in his uniform and went to work. Afterward, he decided to walk to Naruto’s house.

No one was home. Well, it was more like- the home wasn’t home. Forget the people inside. Sasuke’s feet crunched in familiar gravel and he knew there should be a house in front of him. He stood in the yawning vacant space between two houses and felt his heart start hammering. “Where’s Naruto?” Sasuke asked. “And his family?” He only got blank looks from an older blonde woman who was sweeping her front steps. “The Namikaze family?” He urged. 

She blinked empty, honey-colored eyes at him. Sasuke knew her but didn’t. “Who?” She asked, leaning her elbow on her broom. 

“Who?” Sasuke repeated dumbly. “How can you ask me that?” He pulled at his hair. Was he crazy? Had he imagined a whole relationship? A whole backstory and family for an imaginary crush? Was he that lonely? “Fuck!”

His time in Naruto’s house had felt like a dream. Maybe it was. The happiness of those scenes seemed saccharine when he held them to light. He felt shame, opening deep under him. How had he gotten so sick without realizing it? Sasuke started, remembering the shed in the woods. The one out back Naruto had done his paintings in. That memory felt too real to be his imagination. Why would he imagine his ideal partner having a near panic attack? Why would he imagine the discomfort of what Naruto had told him: houses and people... vanishing without a trace. A wave of Deja Vu swept over him. He had to see if the shed was actually there. If he could find it, he could at least know something once and for all.

He saw light in the evening forest, spilling between the trees. The shed and its old shutters stood crookedly at the edge of the clearing that had once held Naruto’s house. Sasuke was more sure of that, now. He saw the outline of a man with unruly hair through the gaps in the shudders and felt relief take the burning from his muscles and fill him with renewed energy. If he could see Naruto again, Sasuke would never let him disappear again. Sasuke wouldn’t let him leave in the night with spray cans on a night when a killer was about. A killer who apparently could erase every trace of someone’s presence if they wanted to. 

“Naruto!” Sasuke shouted, flinging the shed door open. But the hair he’d seen through the window wasn’t short and blond, like Naruto’s. Instead, it fell like a black shroud over its bearer. Madara had his back to the door, as he ripped down piece by piece Naruto’s flawed painting of Konoha. In the corner, there remained a glowing red moon. “Tsukuyomi,” Sasuke’s mouth decided. He shook that off. He still didn’t know what to do with those halfway familiar words. He asked: “Where is the Namikaze family?”

Madara sighed heavily, tearing down the moon with a heavy movement. He turned, his eyes red and blazing. The light from his eyes seemed to pool in his cheekbones. Sasuke had Sharingan eyes too, but his were nothing like Madara’s. No one’s were. The power of a person’s Sharingan was related to the strength of their emotions, and because of this Sasuke knew with sudden certainty that the man in front of him had to be completely insane. 

“Why couldn't you have just played along?” Madara asked, letting the red scraps of paper fall to the ground. Under his feet there were pictures of people Sasuke didn’t quite remember, rendered in pretty watercolors that expressed emotion more than clarity of features. Sasuke didn’t think he recognized them, but some of the pictures sent sharp stabs through his chest. One of them was a self-portrait of Naruto and his big, dumb, real smile. 

This was real. He’d had Naruto and lost him, which was better than having imagined him, but only by a little. “The truth isn’t that flexible,” Sasuke mourned looking at a drawing of Naruto's house, ringed in trees just the way the empty clearing outside the shed’s windows was. 

“You’ve always been this way,” Madara complained, folding his arms impatiently. “It’s not going to get you very far.” Sasuke felt himself heating to boiling inside. He didn’t even deny that he’d done something. He didn’t know what was going on, but Sasuke knew he was capable of greater violence than he could remember seeing when this feeling came over him. This man didn’t even deny he’d had something to do with the people vanishing.

“Did you kill Naruto?” Sasuke hissed out his question. If Naruto was alive he was wasting his time here, and if Naruto was dead Sasuke would find some way to kill Madara, even if it meant he would become worthless to society. Killing a killer was something Sasuke knew he could live with, regardless of any socialization he’d gotten as a child. 

Madara searched Sasuke’s face for a second and then smirked. It moved slowly across his face, intensifying into an unsettling grin that bared white teeth and narrowed cruel eyes. “What are you going to do if I did?”

“Avenge him,” Sasuke breathed. A wave of incandescence gripped him from head to toe. This was rage. This was the emotion that drove people to kill. It filled him. “I will take your life in vengeance,” he repeated, his voice holding confidence that bolstered his inner process. It was familiar, somehow. He knew how to do it.

“Some things never do change,” the elder laughed. In his eyes, Sasuke could see Madara didn’t see him as a real threat. That needed to be fixed. 

“I’ll make you regret it,” Sasuke promised. His hand gripped at his hip, and then behind his back, but he didn’t have anything there. He was fully dressed but somehow he was naked.   
  
“Your body remembers holding a sword. but you don’t have one.” Madara ‘tsk’ed softly. Then he reached to his hip and drew his blade. It hadn’t been there before, there was no sheath at Madara’s hip. He’d drawn the sword out of a warping nothing that made Sasuke nauseated to look at. Sasuke could see the folds in the sharp, narrow steel as it came into existence, catching the light. He could hear the whine of his edge along the unseen hilt. It sent a shudder up his spine, and Sasuke’s fingers tingled with the remembered vibration of the metal edge against the wood. “I do.”

There was a hammer on the table in the shed. Sasuke felt bad picking up a productive tool for violence, but his rage burnt that feeling up like the paper laying in shreds at Madara’s feet. Like one that bore Naruto’s face, which the elder stepped on as he moved forward to meet Sasuke’s challenge. “Then I’ll take it from you,” Sasuke threatened, hefting the weight of the hammer.

Again Madara laughed. He took a stance, lifting the blade over his shoulder, and flipping it towards Sasuke. “I’d love to see you try,” the clan elder challenged. He swung, and Sasuke was impressed with his accuracy when he managed to hit the edge of the blade and dodge the sharp shards of steel that jumped off the blade towards him. Well almost dodge. Sasuke moved slightly and felt his body realize an injury belatedly. the blade-shard had been so sharp that the pain hadn’t been immediate.

Sasuke backed up a step and felt his body protest with a small limp. Madara raised his blade again. It was a few inches shorter, but still long enough to go into one side of Sasuke and come out of the other. “Sasuke, let go of this,” his opponent coaxed his voice syrupy sweet. Sasuke watched his eyes spin and both his body and spirit momentarily buckled. 

“Tsukuyomi-” he breathed, jerking out of it just as Madara’s blade lashed towards him. He was starting to understand. This whole world might be an illusion. Sasuke met steel with iron, putting his whole weight behind it. The steel snapped again, that time flying towards the inside of the shed. Madara dodged it easily, but Sasuke managed to strike one of his hands with the hammer. It fell mangled to Madara’s side, the fingers twisted in sickening directions, leaving him to wield one-handedly. 

“Go back to your perfect life,” Madara hissed, pain lining his face. He flexed his hand and Sasuke watched the bones slide under his skin back into position. “This is the world now,” the elder said, and his words resonated in Sasuke’s skull, the pools of light in his eyes became deeper.

“What about the world before?” Sasuke demanded, trying as though for his life to remember.

“You suffered. You had no clan.” Sasuke remembered. He felt the memories dragging pain into him. Filling him with bitterness. The self that he currently remembered being didn’t want the memories of all that pain and violence. “In that world, you had too much pride to ever love or be loved like you are here,” Madara continued. Sasuke knew the man was right. But he needed the truth, even if it meant snuffing out his own light. His own imaginary light. In a way, it was vindicating. He had reasons for the emptiness, for the bleakness, that didn’t match his life in this artificial world. Even a perfect illusion hadn’t made him forget who he truly was. “Isn’t the previous world worthless?”

“Not to me,” Sasuke replied. He swung and realized too late that he’d gotten emotional. The steel bit into the wood of his hammer instead of bypassing the hammer entirely and cutting his flesh, and Sasuke breathed an internal sigh of relief. “That’s where Naruto is,” he promised himself. Naruto had to be there. “And everyone else who’s still alive.”

“They’re dead,” Madara sneered. Suddenly the weight on the hammer doubled, no, tripled. Madara had superior height, and he bore down on Sasuke with all his strength. Sasuke felt the wood begin to splinter and weaken. How was Madara so strong? And how could Sasuke escape? Even if he jumped back, the sword would lacerate his whole torso and probably his throat. “And so are you,” he heard, then felt the handle give in, snapping into two.

Sasuke leaped back, unwilling to take it motionlessly even if he knew he couldn’t escape, and felt a deep slice cut across his chest, biting deep into his body. He did not allow tears to fall from his eyes as he collapsed to his knees at Madara’s feet. He was dead but waiting to die with his eyes open, and hating as much as his spirit would possibly allow, this man in front of him.

And when he was too weak to do that anymore and collapsed from his knees onto his side, he watched his blood pool onto all of the brightly colored images of the floor and longed for Naruto. 

Delirious, he thought he wouldn’t even mind if they weren’t lovers yet in that world. If he woke up in another world, maybe he could be the one to reach out, finally, and make them into something. And if, because of his failures, they couldn’t be something, Sasuke would just be blessed enough to be in Naruto’s world.

At least they could live and die in the same world.


	15. Day 1(5)

“You made it,” Naruto sobbed, holding Sasuke to his quivering chest. “I wasn’t sure you would.” Sasuke looked around. He was on the ground at the foot of the demon tree. Broken vines and ripped roots lay in chunks around them. Naruto must have dug Sasuke out and waited to see if he would live.

“I’m cut,” Sasuke gasped, feeling pain brand him. His palm flew to his chest but he just felt his skin. Marred only by the same scars and marks he was used to.

“No, you’re not.” Naruto grinned victoriously. “Because you rejected the illusion.”

“It was different when you left,” Sasuke admitted. “How could I accept it?”

“Did it change that much?” Naruto asked, bashful in the face of Sasuke admitting his importance. Still so easy to read, even in this world. Sasuke felt himself want to smile a little. He didn’t. He didn’t want to offer Naruto anything that he could in that illusionary world. How much of that dream could survive in this world? Could any of it?

“It was enough that I noticed,” he deadpanned, downplaying it. Naruto’s nose wrinkled up. He went from tickled, to annoyed, then back to fond in moments. Sasuke was pressed to keep up with him. “I went to your shed and saw all the drawings,” Sasuke added.

“I knew you would,” Naruto replied, nodding thoughfully.

“Even though it put you in more danger.” Of course, Naruto knew it was more dangerous to make any evidence of his understanding. He’d made the paintings for the others. So they might see them and escape, just like all of his graffiti. His art had alluded to Konoha’s real history and pulled at the seams of the lie they had all been living. No wonder those homes had vanished. No wonder those people had disappeared. 

Sasuke tried to stand up, but his muscles didn’t listen to him. He felt around his body and realized he was in a terrible state. He had no chakra other than what it took to keep him alive. His mouth tasted like sand, and his head was banging rudely. “You’re gonna have to let me help you. You haven't had food or drink,” Naruto announced. He hefted Sasuke in his arms, and his nose wrinkled up. “Or bathed,” he added, slightly disgusted.

Once the terrain evened out, Sasuke decided to walk on his own feet again. He felt weak, but he wasn’t about to be indefinitely carried. He was a warrior, and he could stand on his own. “The others that vanished?” Sasuke asked, letting Naruto link their elbows to provide support as he walked. Were they alive? Or had they been unable to realize the real world was waiting for them, and died in spirit, abandoning their bodies to the whims of nature? He felt grateful to be alive himself. He was grateful to feel an equally warm body against his.

“I haven’t seen them,” Naruto sighed. “We’ll have to go back to my camp, and come up with a plan to rescue them.” He looked at Sasuke and the relief in them was so clear that the Uchiha’s breath paused. “I was worried about doing it alone,” Naruto admitted openly. Sasuke had to look away. Naruto exposed too much, and this was not their lighthearted dream world. But that hurt as well, so Sasuke ended up looking and was struck by a soft, sad smile. “The pressure to survive would be too much.” Sasuke wanted to drown in the depth of Naruto’s emotions. 

Sasuke nodded, unable to say anything. He focused on keeping his footing along the rocky path off the battlefield. The ground softened under Sasuke’s feet, turning to gravel, then soil. Eventually, they came to trees, and after passing through them for a while. a small, soot darkened fire pit, and a lean-to over the mouth of a small cave, made of pine boughs tied together with chakra wire.

Sasuke let himself down beside the fire and managed a tiny spark to get a fire going. The flame he made was so small, it was almost like doing it manually. “We could die,” Sasuke told Naruto. “No one would even know we tried to save them.” Naruto paused in handing Sasuke a metal canteen full of water. Sasuke continued: “Even, if we succeed, everyone might hate us after.” Sasuke said all this, even knowing already what Naruto would respond, and loving him for it.

Naruto shook his head, smiling. “It doesn’t matter.” Sasuke nodded. Naruto couldn’t take evil lying down, not with his sense of justice. Even in a hopeless situation, Naruto had to try. But then Naruto continued, catching Sasuke off guard. “As long as I’m with you, any ending is fine,” Naruto promised, touching Sasuke’s cheek and staring into his eyes for several long, agonizing moments, for all of which Sasuke didn’t breathe.

Failing to speak, Sasuke nodded his agreement.


End file.
